Eden
by AoYokai
Summary: Reunion-fic. Shion is living in fear of his new political self: the more time he spends without Nezumi besides him, the more he loses his personality and health to power struggles. Meanwhile, Nezumi is in constant war with his own mind, as he finds out that freedom doesn't necessarily means happiness.
1. Waste and Void

**A\N: English is not my native language, I'm sorry for any spelling and/or grammar mistakes that might be ahead. **

**It's a *fan*fiction, therefore- I'm a fan and not the actual owner of No. 6.**

This fanfiction is based on the novel and 'beyond'. If you haven't read it, here are the few things that you'll need to know if you watched the anime (Spoilers about 'beyond' and No. 6 in general ahead): Yoming, the guy who tried to convince Karan to rebel against No. 6 and died of the parasite bees actually led a group of rebels that tried to break into the Moondrop during the Holy Day. When the Restructural Committee ( the new governing institution of No. 6) took control he became the representative of the rebels, but he was really violent so Shion faked few evidences to put him in jail. The guy who helped Inukashi and Rikiga enter the Correctional Facility was Lili's father, his name was Getsuyaku and he died on that operation. Lili's mother, Renka, wasn't in the anime at all. I think. Oh, and Nezumi met Shion's father (who's about the exact opposite of Shion) outside of No. 6.

**Anyways, this is my first fanfic and I hope I didn't do anything wrong… I hope I didn't suck too much...**

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Chapter 1: Waste and Void

"Goodbye Mr. Shion!"

Shion's secretary called, waving her hand from the doorstep. Shion turned his head from the computer that stood before him and smiled at her. "Goodbye," he said, "have a nice weekend." She smiled and wished him the same, then shut the door behind her, knowing that he was already deep in his work and did not hear her. It was already late, and Shion, like always, stayed in the office all by himself. He had too much work and not enough time: Many of No. 6's former residents still refused to accept the residents of the West Block and Yoming's group of rebels still held too much power and clanged to their violent stands with an exhausting fanaticism; even after Yoming's forced… retirement.

Sure, Shion's voice had a noteworthy influence in the Restructural Committee, mostly because he stopped Yoming's riots when the rebels tried to break into the Moondrop. There was also the case of Yoming's arrest. People came to respect Shion's words, if not because of his charisma, then out of fear. Followers of parties that represented other districts would either chase him down the halls of the Moondrop to shake his hand eagerly, or they would stay out of his way, preferring not to get involved with him.

The actual members of the Restructural Committee were the official representatives of each district. This groups of twelve people (including Shion) became the governors of No. 6; they had more experience in politics than their followers, which made them the only ones who did not adore nor feared Shion. This was, after all, the art of politics; it was only a matter of playing the right card on the right time. For them, Shion was nothing more than an outstanding player.

Shion changed, and he knew it. He knew that under normal circumstances he would have quivered at the idea of people fearing him the way they did. _I want you to stay as you are, Shion. _Nezumi's voice popped to his mind. _What will Nezumi say when he'll come back and see me like this? _Shion sighed. _**If he'll even come back at all.**_He could hear that annoying voice saying that over and over again ever since Nezumi left. Every time that thought reached his mind he shook his head and tried to think about something else.

_Who cares what Nezumi thinks? It's his fault that I'm like this anyway. _After thinking these words Shion had one of those rare moments when he knew he did not lose his heart completely- something he did not have could not cause him so much pain. It was too painful to think those things about Nezumi. He could not bring himself to hate him. No matter how much he thought about it, he knew he should hate him, but he just could not. Shion looked at the ceiling with frustration. Only then he noticed it was already dark. He sighed. _That's enough work for today._

The office was in the West Block, obviously. Every party had its own office, and once a week, the members of the Committee assembled at the Moondrop; once a month, the rest of the party members would come as well. Shion still lived in Karan's bakery, for the time being. He received (no matter how much he insisted to pay like everyone else) an apartment in the new residential area he initiated in the West Block. It was a small apartment with two levels, one with a living room and a kitchen and the other with a bedroom, a bathroom and a balcony. Shion already had most of his (and Nezumi's) belongings in the new apartment, but he was too busy to unpack, and so he stayed with his mother for a little longer.

_Two years have passed, Nezumi. Whole two years. How much longer will I have to wait? _

Time did not leave Shion without any scars. He did not look like a little boy anymore, but since he barely slept and ate he was even skinnier, which was hard considering the fact he used to live in the West Block. His mother and colleagues were worried about him, and the doctor warned him over and over again to watch his health, urging Shion to take break from work. Shion, of course, ignored his instructions and ended up fainting at work at least once every two-three months.

It did not bother Shion, he was more concerned about making No. 6 a better place for Nezumi than his own health, and every second he did not work he could not bring himself to eat or sleep, knowing that some of the residents of the West Block were still starving. Shion's efforts did not go unnoticed: the rumors of his health reached the public, and people began to call him the hero of the city. It spread quietly, slowly, but the nickname was definitely out there. This new hero, however, was too busy to notice his own popularity, completely ignorant to the way in which people around him, especially women, looked at him. Nezumi would probably say it's because he was a natural.

He left the office and started walking to the train station. Shion made sure that No. 6's train will be connected to the West Block, so people in the West Block could participate in any activities inside No. 6, and could influence their future themselves. With the 'insiders' refusing to accept or even care about the 'outsiders' (even without walls that can dictate in and out), there was so much Shion could do for the 'outsiders' without their help, and this physical connection was required to achieve a better future for all.

Shion arrived Lost Town and walked straight to the his mother's house, lost in his thoughts. He entered the street where the bakery was located, catching the scent of his mother's work. The fragrance washed him with a wave of comfort, taking away all of his unpleasant thoughts about the future of No. 6. When he got closer to the source of the smell, Shion met Renka, Lili and Getsuyaku- Renka's two-years-old son.

"Shion! It has been awhile. You work so hard I rarely get to see you anymore." Renka smiled at him, Getsuyaku sleeping in her arms.

"Shion!" Lili cheered. She still had her childish charm, even after losing her father, again, and living through the rebirth of No. 6.

"I missed you, Shion. You come home reaaaaaaally late every day and I never get to see you." Lili said as she hugged Shion's waist and buried her face in his stomach. Shion shuffled her hair fondly and said:

"I'm sorry, Lili. I wish I could spend more time with you."

"But you will move in few weeks and then I won't get to see you at all!" She replied, lifting her head to look at Shion with watery eyes and an angry expression. Renka laughed. Shion felt helpless as Lili tightened her grip and Renka did not offer her help. He sighed again.

"Ok, ok, I get it," he said, completely defeated, "I'll leave some work for later this week and play with you a little bit during the weekend, fine?"

Lili's face brightened up, but before she could say anything Renka interrupted.

"Oh, Shion, there was a visitor at Karan's bakery last time I visited her, about an hour ago. Do you have any idea who that might be?"

Shion looked puzzled. "A visitor? There shouldn't be any customers by now. We weren't expecting anyone, at least, not that I know of."

"Oh," Renka said, "I was just wondering, because your mother was pretty excited about it, seemed like they haven't met in years. It looked like he went through quite a lot of traveling to get here. A peculiar guy, I was just curious that's all."

Shion froze.

_He's back._

_He's finally back. _

_It's finally over._

_Waking up alone._

_Losing myself to the games of control over No. 6. _

_Running to the window every time I hear a noise on a stormy night. _

_Having my heart broken into tiny pieces, again and again, understanding it was a false alarm. _

_It's over. _

_He's back. _

Renka, who knew what he was thinking about by looking at his frozen face, shook her head sadly.

"Shion, it's not Nezumi."

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**A/N: Well, that was the first chapter. Yay :) I have no idea how many people will read this thing anyway… But, assuming there is someone out there, I will try to post the next chapter in less than a week from now. I'm not sure though, I'm still building Nezumi's life at the time in my head so it'll probably take a while before I'll be truly satisfied with the product. See you next time (again, assuming that there is a 'you' reading this…)**


	2. Lilith

**A\N: English is not my native language, I'm sorry for any spelling and/or grammar mistakes that might be ahead. **

**It's a *fan*fiction, therefore- I'm a fan and not the actual owner of No. 6.**

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Chapter 2: Lilith

"And the wild beasts of the desert shall meet with the wolves, and the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; yea, the **night-monster ****(****לילית****, lilit)** shall settle there, and shall find her a place of rest." Isaiah 34:14

Nezumi ran.

He ran as fast as his body could carry him. He ran, drunk with fear, clouded by terror, as the streets of Lost Town became more and more blurry with speed.

Nezumi knew what happened.

Even though he could barely see where he was, he knew he was getting closer to Karan's bakery. It was an evening of late autumn, and the streets were burning with dead, crimson-colored leaves and twilight skies. Nezumi could see Shion's blood-stained face as he stood next to Rashi's body.

_Nezumi… I… killed him._

_Damn it Shion, get the fuck out of my head. _

There were so many people on the streets. They were talking, laughing, yelling, crying, _buzzing _in Nezumi's ears as he passes them with a run.

Nezumi knew what happened. He knew and he refused to believe it.

_Please, please, please, please, please, please, please. Don't do it. Please tell me you didn't fucking do it. Please, I need to hear you say it. With your own voice, please. _

Since Nezumi did not believe in any sort of god or higher power that can answer his prayers, he prayed to the closest thing he knew. _Elyurias, Safu, if you can hear me, I beg of you. Don't let him do it. _Another memory flashed before him. The gun that shot Rashi twice moments ago was now pointed at Shion's temple; the same slender fingers wrapped the trigger again, getting ready for another fatal shot.

_Bloody hell. This is all my fault. I knew that would happen. I knew that this place would destroy him but I brought him with me anyway. And then I left him to handle the horrors he brought with him from that… __**hell **__all by himself. Damn it. Damn it all. _

Nezumi arrived the bakery at last, the bloody skies illuminated the abandoned-looking shop with an ominous light. He tried to open the door but it was locked. _Fuck. _He looked at the showcase with frustration. _Goddamn it, this is going to hurt. _He took a deep breath and broke the window with his elbow, then entered the shop quickly, storming into the storage cellar that used to be Shion's room.

And there he was, smiling at him with this special expression that only Shion could make. _Welcome back, Nezumi. _Nezumi collapsed. Shion's eyes beamed with happiness, making the voice in Nezumi's head sound so _right, _so _real. _But it was not real. Something else was, even if it was unfortunate, even if it seemed too _wrong _to be real. And the reality that stood before of Nezumi's eye was Shion laying on the floor, with a gun in his hand, his snowy hair now colored red, and the content of his skull was-

Nezumi sat up suddenly. His breath was heavy and his body was covered with sweat. He shivered as the image of Shion's body surfaced his mind again, then a wave of sickness washed him, causing him to vomit to the side of the bed. After recovering, Nezumi looked at the room, trying to remember where he was. It was a small room with nothing but a bed and a big window leading to a balcony. On the bed, next to Nezumi, slept a woman covered only by a blanket. Her back was facing Nezumi, and she was shaking slightly because of the sudden cold that hit her when Nezumi broke their cuddle. Nezumi started looking for his pants in the dark, and then carefully made his way to the balcony.

No. 4 was beautiful. It truly was. Nezumi got lucky tonight, and managed to get lodging with a full view of the city. He could see the poor district, which was about the same as the West Block, just inside of the city. Next to it the entertainment district, where he currently was, then the upper-class district and the residential district. It was very similar to No.6, thought there was no restriction on transition, neither inside nor outside of the city. _Where should I go next? _He wondered. He needed money, so he decided he would wander in the district for a while, looking for a card game he could easily win or wait until the morning when he could perform on the streets. While he had… certain troubles performing on stage, he had no problem with doing so on a sidewalk, a train station or any of their likes.

The sound of the woman turning in bed interrupted his thoughts. _I should really go before she wakes up. _He walked back into the room and gathered the rest of his clothes, then left the room knowing he'll never see it again. As soon as he was out of the room Hamlet and Cravat ran toward him and climbed onto his shoulder.

"Where have you guys been?" Nezumi asked, even though they could not respond in human tongue.

_Squeak squeak_

Nezumi did not need words to understand their intentions.

"Well, you don't like anyone I… hang out with." he said, considering his words carefully, knowing that his mice were smarter than most humans.

_Squeak squeak_

Nezumi sighed without even noticing he did so. He did not want to answer that, knowing what they would say if they could speak.

_We liked __**Shion**__._

_Well, Shion's a man of the past, deal with it. _

Shion once told him that it sounds as if Nezumi's talking to himself rather than to Shion. Nezumi knew that, again, that was the case, but he would never admit it.

Nezumi was used to having nightmares; he would wake up countless times remembering the flames of Mao. He had plenty of methods as for chasing those nightmares away. When Shion entered his life, he would crawl closer to him, looking for something that could remind him that some types of warmths were pleasent. Now, however, it seemed as if Nezumi lost his ability to handle nightmares, and it was Shion's fault. Not only because of the missing warmth, but because Shion was the one who haunted him now.

Nezumi would dream of an empty No. 6, and Shion crying tears of blood saying he had no choice but to kill those who opposed him. He would dream of young Shion handing him over to the Security Bureau. He would dream of Shion forgetting him, claiming he never met him before. But the worst were the dreams where they were simply living together in the West Block. He could not handle the crushing disappointment that hit him when he woke up without Shion on his side. Nezumi knew that if Shion really was a man of the past he could not haunt him like this.

"Oi! Eve!"

A shout cut Nezumi's train of thoughts. He looked up, noticing he was already deep inside the entertainment district, and looked for the source of the call. It was an extra in one No. 4's theaters, where Nezumi performed once, only once. The extra approached Nezumi, bringing with him a strong smell of alcohol, which did not surprise Nezumi: It was 3AM in the entertainment district, in this time and place sober people like himself were the exception while people like the extra were the majority.

"Wha' ya doin' here? Thought ya left 4 weeks ago!" he said.

"Well, you were wrong." Nezumi gave him a forced smile full of disgust, and then turned around, hoping this was the end of their conversation. He was wrong of course.

"If ya still in 4, why haven' ya showed up in the theater at all? Director freakin' liked ya, ya know…" the man asked, barely managing to stand.

"I wasn't looking for a permanent job." Nezumi replied, trying to get as far as he could from the drunked.

"But ya were so gooood, no'ady ever managed to ge' a speaking par' as their firs' role, ya know… Ya have a futu'e!", he said happily, "No'ady thought ya'll quit afte' one show, tha's for sure!"

"Thank you, I guess, but I have no interest. Now if you'll excuse me..." Nezumi tried to escape again.

"But Eveeeee!" the man grabbed Nezumi shoulder trying to stop him. Nezumi, partly out of instinct but mostly because he was sick of talking with this intoxicated clown, caught the man's arm and pulled him, quickly putting his knife to the his throat.

"Please don't call me that." Nezumi whispered, "Actually, don't call me at all." The man collapsed on his knees, he was absolutely frozen with fear, unable to speak or even think. Nezumi let go of him and immediately turned away, trying to get as far as he could from any creature that was able to converse with him.

_Eve. _

Nezumi never thought of names as significant or meaningful. He has not named his mice until Shion showed up. He was performing under the stage name Eve. He was living his life under the 'stage name' Nezumi. But ever since he left No. 6, he came to loathe performing and everything that was connected to it. And it was Eve's fault. _Eve_. He thought bitterly. Until then, Nezumi and Eve shared the flesh of the same nameless man, but now, Nezumi felt like Eve was getting her own personality, and it was driving him mad.

Eve was a diva. She was not willing to compromise and perform wherever Nezumi told her to. She stubbornly refused to bend her desires to the arrogant will of the nameless man who needed money to survive in this world. Eve would not read, recite or sing anything that reminded her of Shion, and **everything** reminded her of Shion. She knew better than Nezumi that Shion was not a man of the past, and she hated the fact that she had to share a body with a man that knew his own desires and chose to ignore them, just because he refused to admit they were true. Eve wanted to go back, but she was unable to break the chains of flesh that shackled her, forcing her to stay with Nezumi. And so, Eve simply refused to do anything. Not until she will get to see the other man, the one she wanted to see, the one that the nameless man wanted to see, the one Nezumi wanted to see.

_Shion._

Nezumi could not help it but to sigh, then swear, for both the sigh and the way in which Shion managed to sneak into his mind yet again. _Shion is a man of the past, and you are nothing but a stage name, Eve. Nothing good will come out of your stupid games. You can pretend to be independent as much as you like, but you are, and will always be nothing more my... My what?_

Nezumi's mind turned blank. It was suddenly so quiet... too quiet. He did not know the answer to the question and it bothered him, but he was unable to think. _It's dark. _He managed. _Too dark. Was it always that dark? I wonder if Shion can see how dark it is. _Nezumi sighed again at the understanding of what he just said in his mind. But since Shion was already in his thoughts, there was no point in fighting it. _Damn it, I'm kneeling under Eve's will. _But he did not care anymore, he just kept thinking from where he left his thoughts. _Shion probably can't see this. He's definitely asleep. That's how Shion is. No, it's the other way around. Shion is doing the normal, rational thing. It's me who's being abnormal. It's me, who's wandering at night unable to sleep. It's me, who broke Shion's heart, and my own heart, looking for freedom. It's me who's paying the price by carrying my regrets wherever I go. Shion will wake up in the morning, and look at the window waiting for me. He won't see me out there. He might never see me out there, but at least he will wake up in the morning and in the morning after that, and every morning he will see the sunlight. I, however, will wake up haunted by my own decisions, and will see nothing but darkness on the other side of the window. I chose to leave, and by that, I doomed myself to become a monster. A night creature. _

Nezumi passed a noisy building. An inn, by the look of it. Nezumi rarely paid for a roof over his head. He spent many of nights out in the wild while moving from city to city. During his visits in populated areas, he would either sleep on the streets or find his way to a club or a pub or any other place that had a large amount of people whose judgment had been corrupted by booze. It was easy to manipulate people with no judgment, especially with voice and looks like Nezumi's. He was able to charm everyone, regardless of personality, wealth, and gender. Nezumi, however, was not fond of this method. He related it to the fact that he hated being around most people. He avoided this method as much as he could but sometimes, Shion's memory hurt him so much he could not handle it without borrowing some warmth from another person. But it only made it worse.

A wave of laughter came from inside the inn and Nezumi found himself walking toward the voice. He looked through the window. The people in there were dancing in a circle, laughing, singing, eating, drinking... They were happy. Even if it was fake, momentary happiness, they were **happy. **To Nezumi, it seemed rather odd. He continued walking. _How come they're happy? Their problems are definitely still there. The fact that they forgot them at the moment does not change the fact that they have problems, and that they can't be happy. I don't have any problems, not anymore. Then why? Why can't I be truly happy now? Why are they happy while I can barely sleep? _That was when he found an answer to the question that bugged him earlier. _Emotions. That is everything Eve is. She is good at mimicking feelings, and making people believe I feel things I don't really feel. But in the end of the day, she's just a big, messy piece of emotional wreck. Junkyard for everything I ever felt and ignored, felt and denied, felt and threw away. Eve did an amazing job, however. Nothing shook her, not until now. _

Frustrated, Nezumi sighed again. He sighed and _didn't give a damn about it. _

_Shion, I did not turn myself into a night monster, I only uncaged it. I ignored my emotions stubbornly, but Eve was able to process everything I threw at her. I left you, both of us, actually, looking for false freedom. But you are the only one who could destroy and then rebuild everything I am, or at least everything I was. You are the only one who managed to break Eve. You are the one who's denying my freedom from me._

_Shion, you ruined me. And the worst part is that you changed me so I won't even care. _


	3. My Brother's Keeper

**A\N: English is not my native language, I'm sorry for any spelling and/or grammar mistakes that might be ahead. **

**It's a *fan*fiction, therefore- I'm a fan and not the actual owner of No. 6.**

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Chapter 3: My Brother's Keeper

Shion woke up in a white, neat room. He tried to recall what happened, but all he could remember was fainting as he arrived the bakery. He listened to the muffled voices outside.

"He's alright," he heard a voice from the other side of the door, it was his doctor, "but he won't stay alright if he keeps that up. This is way beyond being workaholic, he's killing himself!"

"I know, I-I tried to-" it was him mother's voice.

"If he won't start eating properly I won't be able to save him next time. Better make him understand that the city needs that brain of his alive and functioning." the voice was angry, like an adult scolding a child.

"Isn't there anything you can-" Karan tried to talk, only to be interrupted again.

"I can make sure he doesn't leave the hospital until he weighs more than his paperwork!"

"He won't like it…"

"Well, he doesn't like eating either. As long as I'm in charge of his health he'll have to do as I say, whether he likes it or not!"

When the doctor and Karan entered the room Shion received a long speech about his physical and mental health and what he should and should not do. He was not listening because he heard that speech countless times before and did not care about his health, but he tried to look as concerned as possible. In the end the doctor sighed and said Shion will not be able to leave for at least a week, then left the room.

"Mom, will you tell my secretary to bring my paperwork here? I can't stop working just because I'm in the hospital." Shion asked.

"I… I think you should not work for a while. You've been unconscious for three days… You should take this time to recover. Please…?" Karan pleaded with a worried look on her face.

"You know I can't just stop working for a whole week." Karan knew he was not referring just to the fact that the city needed him; Shion needed his work as a distraction. When Shion was not working- he was thinking about Nezumi.

"I'll let her know." She gave in with sigh.

"Thank you." Shion smiled at her. It was a wry, frail smile. _Shion used to have such a beautiful smile before Nezumi left._ She thought bitterly. Karan planted a kiss on Shion's forehead and told him to rest, then left.

• • • • • •

"How is he?" a voice greeted her when she entered the bakery.

"Awake, but he won't be leaving the hospital for at least a week." She replied.

"A whole week? Can't I visit him any sooner?"

"I don't think it's a good idea, but if you must… Let's wait a day or two. Give him some time to rest." Karan was not feeling comfortable about letting this man see her son at his current state, but she knew he will not stop bothering her until he will see Shion.

"A week… What is his job anyway? What is so important to him that he put himself in this state?" the man asked.

"Oh… It's…" Karan looked at the man and smiled. She knew what he will say when he will find out what Shion does for the city.

"It's nothing important, really…"

• • • • • •

Shion stopped typing and looked away from the laptop. He hated being in the hospital. No matter how hard he focused on his work he could not stop thinking about Nezumi. He just wanted to get out already, but whenever the doctor came to check him, he extended the time Shion had to spend under supervision. Apparently, he was not recovering; he was doing the exact opposite. Shion felt as if he will turn mad if he stays any longer, and it was only the third day.

"Shion? Am I interrupting something?" Karan's voice brought him back to reality.

"Oh," he said, "not at all. Come on in." He closed the laptop and put it on the table next to him.

"I have someone I want you to meet," she said, and Shion knew from her smile that she did not really want him to meet that person.

"Shion meet Cain*." An aging man entered the room. He was slender, but not sickly thin like Shion, his hair held few evidences of his age while his lively eyes held none, and he had a scar on the middle of his forehead.

"He is your father." Karan continued. Shion's eyes widened with surprise. For him, meeting his father was never an option. Shion was sure that his father was dead somewhere until almost a year ago, when his mother told him he left No. 6 because he suspected the government was becoming the corrupted system it did become in the end. But even if he left the city alive it was over eighteen years ago, the chances he survived were low and the chances he would come back were even lower.

Shion was surprised indeed, but nothing more. He did not know how it is like to live with anyone other than his mother or Nezumi, and he felt no need in a father figure in his life. Cain walked awkwardly closer to Shion.

"You grew up." He finally said.

"Eighteen years are a long time." Shion agreed. There was no grudge in his voice; actually, there were no emotions in his voice at all. Cain chuckled awkwardly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Interesting… well…em..."

Shion sent his hand to his hair, knowing what he meant to say. "It's a long story."

"I have time."

Shion was surprised by the interest the man showed. For him, it was a polite conversation with one of his mother's friends, the fact that this man named him or that his sperm was the very reason Shion was alive did not matter. And it seemed that Cain felt the same way. He asked simply because he wanted to know. For him, Shion will always be the baby he left eighteen years ago, and for Shion his father would always be the drunkard his mother left.

"A parasite bee did this."

"A what?"

Shion told Cain everything about the parasite bees and the way in which No. 6 fell. He shared only factual and impersonal information, he did not talk of Nezumi, his life in the West Block, the fact that he was in the West Block in first place, what he did in the Correctional Facility or his new job as a Member of the Restructural Committee. Cain asked many questions, but he did not doubt Shion's words and did not ask of how the information came to his hands in first place.

"I knew No. 6 was turning into a monster, but I never thought they would go that far…" Cain said quietly. _Cain ate the fruit of knowledge, _Shion though, _and ran away from the holy city, leaving his wife and son behind. _And yet, Shion could not bring himself to hate Cain. It was not like what he felt when he tried to hate Nezumi but only hurt himself because it was just impossible to hate someone you love so much. Shion could not hate him simply because he could not care less about his actions.

"Who is leading the city now, then?" Cain cut Shion's thoughts.

"No. 6 is now under the leadership of a committee, not a single person." Shion explained.

"Committee? Nonsense, there is always a person that has more power than the rest." Cain's voice became dangerous. Shion knew that that person would be him, but decided to keep silent because of Cain's new approach.

"A committee is a committee." He insisted.

"Oh, come on. You seem too intelligent to fall for that." Cain brought his face closer to Shion's.

"Why do you want to know anyway?" Shion tried to change the subject by talking about Cain's interests instead.

"So I can buy No. 6 from him!" Cain said proudly, as an arch-villain revealing his master-plan.

"Buying No. 6?" Shion asked, more surprised than anything else, "Why?"

"To play, of course." He said as if it was obvious.

"To play?" if Shion was standing, he would have taken a step away from the man. _I don't like where this is going…_

"Yes, to play." Cain continued. "To see what the residents would do. It would be just a game, but the finest of them all! I would get to mess up with people's lives as easily as I can walk in the park, it would be fantastic!"

Shion was disgusted by the eagerness in Cain's eyes, he looked for help from his mother, but found out she left the room a while ago.

"I…" Shion tried to calm himself, "I don't think the leaders of No. 6 would let you do such thing. They won't _sell _the city to a…" he tried to find a word other than 'madman' and 'crazy-person' but was interrupted again before he finished the sentence.

"Of course they would! You take those leaders too seriously, Shion. People with power change. They corrupt. And if they don't- they break. There is no way of maintaining a good, rightful personality while being in power. It's corruption or destruction." Cain said those words as if they were facts, as if he was lecturing to a student. Shion clenched the sheet that covered him, trying to control the sudden rage he felt at the man's words.

"I tend to disagree." He said smiling, because if he would not smile he would give Cain a furious gaze. He wanted to change the subject so badly, but did not want to lose to this man, and refused to accept his insane plan. "How would you get enough money anyway?"

Cain looked to his sides carefully, as if he was making sure no one was eavesdropping. "I found a gold mine! Literally! Did your mother tell I'm a geologist? Well, before I left I discovered a whole region that is just teeming with gold! It's running from the north to the south and reaches a place that was once called the Land of Mao-"

"The Land of Mao?" Shion said, "I'm afraid you won't be able to dig over there. It's a forest now."

"So what?" Cain said, and Shion felt as if he was going to explode.

"This forest was once inhabited by the People of Mao, who were massacred by soldiers from No. 6. It was reconstructed by the leaders of the new city as a monument and has new inhabitants now, you can't destroy it." He tried to be as calm as he could, not letting his fury leak.

"Again, so what? What would I care about some people who died years ago or some wild freaks that live there n-"

Shion could not hold it anymore.

"Listen! This forest is too important to be destroyed just because you want to play with people's lives!" He shouted at the surprised man. "If you wanted to save people, I would consider it, or think of a way to get this gold without hurting the forest, but your goals are just inhuman! I will not let you do such thing! As long as I breath, YOU WILL NOT TOUCH THE FOREST NOR WILL YOU BUY A SINGLE SQUARED MILE OF THIS CITY!"

Shion breathed heavily, and looked at Cain who was processing his words. When Cain opened his mouth to speak, Shion realized he said too much.

"You will not let me? Could it be… You are the new ruler of No. 6!" He exclaimed.

"I am no ruler, I rule nothing. I am leading the residents and they choose to follow."

"Hahaha!" Cain laughed so hard Shion thought he was going to choke. "You must have been in power long enough to know that 'leading' is an illusion sold to the people so they won't rebel! Oh, please! Look at yourself! You are being broken by the weight of having ideals and power on the same time! You will be destroyed, unless you accept the corruption as part of you!"

"I have no intentions of being destroyed or corrupted any time soon! What is it to you anyway?!"

"I am your father!" They were both yelling now.

"Father or not, you have no voice on the subject!"

_You left._

"You left the city!"

_You abandoned me._

"You abandoned me and mom!"

_You have no right to judge me._

"You have no right to judge me! Or what I have become!"

_It's all your fault anyway._

"It's al-"

Shion froze. Furious, he looked down to his clenched fists, evading Cain's face.

_I was talking to Nezumi, wasn't I?_

Karan entered the room, but Shion kept staring at his hands.

"Is everything alright?" She asked.

"Terrific." Cain said. Karan decided to ask no more.

"Come on, Cain. Let's go. Oh, have you told him how you got the scar?" Karan's voice suddenly became happy, hopeful even.

"Oh, that." Cain said. "When I told Karan, she said you would like to hear it." Shion did not look up, and Cain continued.

"I was attacked by a young man. He threw a stone at me because he thought I was trying to steal from him. I don't know much about him, but I do know he came from No. 6, that is how I became certain of the fall of the former government."

Karan signaled him to keep talking, and so he did.

"He was beautiful and had a very sharp tongue. He was also quite skilled with a knife, and refused to help me escape from some thugs until he heard one of them calling me 'Shion'."

Shion kept looking down. "I see… thank you." he said wearily.

"Goodbye, then." Said Cain.

"Goodbye."

As soon as the door shut behind Cain and Karan, Shion's tears began to slowly drip over his chin.

_So he's alive. _

All of Shion's rage from the conversation with Cain turned into happiness in just one second. Cain has affected Shion, just no in the way in which he intended.

_I will prove him wrong. I will not let the city destroy me, nor will I let it corrupt me. I am stronger than this city. I will not let it win and crush me._

A nurse interrupted his thoughts. "Mister Shion, it's time to eat."

She put a tray on his bed and he smiled at her, it was a happy, grateful, Shion-like smile.

"Thank you." he said, and she smiled back then left the room.

_Nezumi would rather come back to imperfect No. 6 and a normal Shion than a flawless city and a flawed Shion. I cannot allow myself to change or break under the pressure. We will both keep our promises, Nezumi. You will come back, and I will stay just the way I am, and build you a place where you can finally calm the infinite storms in your eyes._

* * *

*Cain's name never appeared in the actual books (I think), so I named him myself. Don't kill me.

**A/N: I'm sorry about the late update(I try to update weekly but… well it didn't work) and the lame chapter. I am getting somewhere, I promise. Thank you for bearing with me so far and special thanks to those who faved/followed/reviewed :) Again, I know this chapter sucked but I really wanted to write about Shion meeting his father and I had no idea how to connect it to what I already had and… blahh. Next chapter will be better! (I hope…)**


	4. Let There Be Light

**A\N: English is not my native language, I'm sorry for any spelling and/or grammar mistakes that might be ahead. **

**It's a *fan*fiction, therefore- I'm a fan and not the actual owner of No. 6.  
**

**Hello~~ It feels like I haven't updated in a while but… the last update was less than 2 weeks ago (I think), that's not a lot, is it? nvm. Oh, there's a big time skip in this chapter… I hope it doesn't upset any of you. Yeah all seven of you who read this. I can't shake the feeling that this chapter is kind of… flat. Looks like I wrote something lame again, but this is a huge step to the good parts so… Yay, I guess. I'll stop wasting your time with my nonsense. New chapter~~~**

* * *

Chapter 4: Let There Be Light

It was summer in the West Block. A nice time of the year, relatively to the West Block, of course. Shion and Nezumi had to cook outside because cooking inside would turn the room into a boiling hell, but other than that, the underground room was always comfortably cool. Both Nezumi and Shion lied on bed, enjoying the temperature and each other's company. They were both shirtless, and Nezumi played gently with Shion's hair as he rested his head on the taller man's chest, his legs on either side of Nezumi.

Suddenly, Nezumi felt a cold touch on his neck, causing him to shiver. Shion's fingers touched him so gently he could barely even say they were there for sure. But they were, and although they were freezing, Nezumi could feel a surge of heat spreading almost instantly from Shion's fingers to the rest of his body. Shion lifted his head to place his lips where his fingers were.

Unlike his fingers, Shion's lips were warm, hot even. At first he was not kissing him, just gently brushing his lips against Nezumi's neck, breathing in slowly and deeply, trying to get as much of the scent into his lungs as possible. Shion withdrew his lips from the other's neck, and just for a second, Nezumi felt cold again. But soon Shion's lips came back, electrocuting the man once more; this time he planted small, frail kisses along his neck. Nezumi soon found himself tilting his head, desperate to give Shion more of his skin. He lost any sense of time, forgetting to be aware of anything that was not Shion. And then he felt it: Something cold was crawling between their bare chests.

It was not similar to the sensation of Shion's fingers, not even a little. It was the sort of cold one would feel when a ghost passes by. It was the feeling of frozen, deadly scales sliding their way over Nezumi's torso and around the other guy's body. Shion lifted his head once more, and Nezumi could only freeze with horror as he saw that Shion's scar disappeared. Instead, a red serpent coiled around his body lifting itself away from the boy as it reached his neck, looking at Nezumi with blood colored eyes.

"Living people are warm."

Shion was definitely the one who spoke these words, but it was the serpent's voice talking to Nezumi. It crawled even farther, lifting its head to look at him at eye level.

"Then how come-" Shion's snake talked again, "how come you're so _**cold?!**_"

It screamed the last word, launching itself into Nezumi's eye.

Nezumi opened his eyes quickly, trying desperately to control his breath. He was lying on the floor in a room he rented in an inn for the night. He took few moments to recover from the dream before he got up and sat on the bed. Nezumi was tired. He was tired because he was haunted by nightmares and because he was fighting his own desires for too long. He looked outside, at the storm that was washing No. 2, mocking Nezumi with its almost ridiculous resemblance to the storm that brought him to Shion. After seven years of constant nightmares, Nezumi did not bother to scold himself for letting the boy sneak into his mind anymore.

_Shion's a man of the past. _

The sentence that used to be what kept Nezumi from turning back so many times, turned into a joke. A terrible joke too, Nezumi have heard it so many times and it never made him laugh. Nezumi knew that it was already the early hours of the next day rather than the late hours of the one before. He dropped his back into the bed with a sigh. He could no longer notice all of his sighs, and most of them could now escape his lips forever without any additional reaction from Nezumi.

_It's already __**that**__ day… _Nezumi thought. Every year, Nezumi would spend **that** day completely miserable. Somewhere, deep inside, he hoped that it will never come again, that time would stop for him, that when he comes back- he no longer tried to convince himself that he will never come back- No. 6 would be in the same state in which he left it. That the West Block would stay the same. That Shion would still be a teenager that washes Inukashi's dogs and never seem to mature.

He knew it was impossible, but he was stubborn. If Nezumi could say he was good at something, it would be singing, acting, using knives and sticking to his opinion in a most irritating way. And so Nezumi refused to think of what happened to Shion or No. 6. There were so many possibilities, and most of them were not pleasant for Nezumi.

_I'm so sorry, gran. I could not keep any of my promises to you. _He thought,_ I sighed- I sighed so many times they come naturally now. I didn't destroy No. 6. I gave it a chance to rebuild itself instead. A chance it doesn't deserve. And worst of all: I opened my heart to someone. I opened my heart and by that I doomed myself to break the rest of my promises. But you know what, gran? I'm not sorry. I do not regret my decisions. Because the person I let in against your instructions was Shion. Because when I did not destroy No. 6, it was because Shion told me not to. Because all of my sighs belong to Shion. And not just sighs. Ever since I broke the first promise, every breath that left my body, every time my heart beat, every tear I cried, everything belonged to Shion. _

_There is no point in fighting it anymore, gran. Eve won this battle, it was always a matter of when will I give in. I became weary of this war, I cannot fight another second. I cannot stand another moment without Shion by my side. I cannot let another breath go to someone that isn't Shion. I must go back. I'll go back to the Holy City and hope Shion haven't changed. I'm goin-_

_Squeak squeak_

Nezumi sat up, coming back to reality, and looked at the brown mouse that stared at him from the nightstand.

"What are you looking at?" Nezumi growled at him, but the mouse did not budge, he was used to Nezumi being like that.  
_Squeak squeak  
_"That's none of your business, I'll sleep as much as I want." he replied, irritated.  
_Squeak squeak  
_"I would be worried about myself if I were you." Nezumi warned, "Where did you run off to this time, Prince?"

Prince became Nezumi's only mouse when its parents died one year ago, taking with them the only thing Shion gave him- their names.

_Squeak squeak_

Another mouse jumped onto the nightstand, more shyly, standing behind Prince, completely terrified.

"So, you found a new recruit, huh?" Nezumi gave a grin at the sight of the scared mouse. He sent his hand to the beautiful, gray mouse, who climbed it eventually, after adjusting to Nezumi's presence. He brought it closer to his face and examined it.

"What should I name you?" He asked himself. After few minutes of internal debate, Nezumi found it hard to concentrate as his thoughts wandered back to Shion. He put his new mouse down on the nightstand, then reached to his bag and brought out a robotic mouse.

"Your name can wait for later. Much later, actually. I don't think I'm capable of choosing a right name for you." The gray mouse looked disappointed. Indeed, just like Prince and Nezumi's former mice, it was very intelligent.

"But I know someone who is." He said, reassuring the mouse and putting the robotic one on a small table to show them, and himself, a hologram of the map of the transportations between the six cities. No. 2 and No. 6 were the farthest cities; both were in the edges of the map. The cities were named by order of foundation, not by their physical location, and it happened to be that both No. 6 and No. 2, where Nezumi currently was, were pretty isolated in comparison to the other cities.

"I should be able to take a train from No. 1 to No. 5, but the only way from No. 5 to No. 6 and from No. 2 to No. 1 is an airplane, or by foot, of course. An airplane is out of the question. Earning enough money for a flight ticket will take more time than it would take me to actually walk the distance." Nezumi looked at the map thoughtfully. He was right, of course. All of the cities were in bad economic shape. There were rich people, of course, but the difference between rich and poor made it impossible to buy a flight ticket.

"Walking from No. 2 to No. 1 and from No. 5 to No. 6 would take over eight months total, though…But I guess I have no choice. And I still need to earn enough money to buy a train ticket…" Nezumi sighed as he figured out it will take him about a year to get back to No. 6, to see Shion. _I don't think I can wait this long…_

He looked outside of the window again. It was dawn now. **That** day was officially here. The storm finally stopped, leaving the air fresh and clean when Nezumi opened the window to look at the city. He inhaled slowly and smiled at the new beginning the sun brought. And at that very spot Nezumi discarded his days as a night monster to concentrate on his new days, ones he will be spending with Shion. He looked at No. 2 that shined with sparkling pools of water that were left by the storm.

_Happy birthday, Shion._

* * *

**A/N: Well that was flat and plotless. But necessary, in my opinion at least. Finally, I can write reunion stuff :D I mean, hopefully, because I might figure out I have too much to write about Shion's life after the time skip… But I promise Nezumi would be in No. 6 by then, ok? Once again thanks to those who faved\followed\reviewed, I love all of you 3**


	5. Cherubim

**A\N: English is not my native language, I'm sorry for any spelling and/or grammar mistakes that might be ahead. **

**It's a *fan*fiction, therefore- I'm a fan and not the actual owner of No. 6.**

**The awaited moment is here~~ That's right, reunion. To be honest, I was losing patience myself. Probably why I felt like my previous chapters weren't that good. That and the fact that I was reading so many other No. 6 fanfictions that were so good they made me feel like a lesser human being. That being said, I wasn't planning on updating this week but the (little) reviews I received changed my mind :D Thank you guys for being awesome. **

**This is a very long chapter. I don't know if it's good or bad, so I'm just mentioning it as a fact. Longest thing I wrote in my life. It also means there is a higher likelihood of mistakes in this chapter. If I'll find anything terrible I'll fix it later.**

**Reunion and such~~  
**

* * *

Chapter 5: Cherubim

"Shion-sama!"

"Hey, Ai-chan."

Ai, or as she insisted, Ai-chan, was jumping and waving toward Shion as he came out of a meeting room. She was his secretary for three years now, an impressive achievement since most of Shion's secretaries quit after a few months, unable to keep up with him. Shion was a hard worker and Ai was the only person who enjoyed working as hard as he did. The only problem Shion had with Ai being his secretary was the fact that she constantly tried talking him into dating her, in her own special way. Shion's 'fangirls' decreased over the years, as it became clearer and clearer from his choice of partners that he had no interest in the opposite sex. But every once in a while Shion encountered a girl that was still hopeful and unbelievably persistent, and Ai was one of them.

Ai had faced rejection from Shion over and over again, but it did not seem to bother her and she kept doing her job in a way nobody else could. She was a bit naive, a hard worker, very energetic, and shared Shion's sense of justice. She was the perfect assistant for Shion and she truly loved her job.

"From here we must go to the Moondrop for a meeting about Canaan project," Ai said as she and Shion fast-walked through the West Block's main office, "then back here to a meeting about West Block High School's budget. After that we have a video conference with the mayors of No. 4 and No. 5, then an interview for Rikiga-san's newspaper. Afterwards, you have a video meeting with an interviewer from No. 2. I left all of your usual paperwork in your office, but I would like you to give special attention to the letter you promised to write to No. 1's Central Institute of Education. No. 3 has agreed to host the next Babylon Assembly, should I send your approval? Also, No. 4's Central University and Chronos Middle School asked you to lecture about your contribution to No. 6. Oh, and your next meeting with Hikari-san is scheduled to next month as always. "

"I will finish it today, yes, and give Chronos Middle School priority over the Central University." Shion replied by order, unstartled by Ai's speed. They both sat in the back seats of a car that was driving them to the Moondrop. "Oh, Shion-sama, I got a reply from those individuals in the other cities. Only half of them are willing to sell and even they demand an exorbitant price. The city's library's budget is hardly enough to bu-"  
"Buy them anyway. Cut my paycheck if you need to." Shion said while looking outside the window.  
"I understand, but we really need to hire someone to handle this books issue. I'm sure we could get more of them to sell and lower the prices if we had a person that does it for living instead of you squeezing it into your already crowded schedule."

Shion arrived at the meeting. The subject- Canaan project, in which No. 6 will convert areas around it into inhabitable regions. Canaan project was one of the many projects Shion initiated in order to eliminate No. 6's isolation. The Babylon Assembly was also in that list- an assembly of all cities that took place once a year. After No. 6 used military power and by that broke the Babylon Treaty, the cities were furious, and rightfully. Shion had to take measures to calm them down, and the Babylon Assembly was one of them. Other than that Shion still had plenty of work, interviews and a monthly meeting with his therapist- Hikari, which was the only reason Shion did not crumble under his work. Her and Ai, of course.

• • • • • •

Nezumi was astonished. Even in his wildest dreams- and he had quite a lot of these- he could not imagine such change in No. 6. The West Block was rebuilt to the point where it looked like a tiny section of No. 6 outside the walls, that were not really there to separate them anymore. Where people once fought for their lives constantly, now he could see groups of teenagers in uniforms chatting leisurely, buying things they do not really need or studying for their next test in a restaurant. It was too good to be true. Nezumi came back to reunite with the serpent who tempted him to eat the forbidden fruit, but instead, he found some sort of paradise on earth.

It took him a while to walk around the city as he stopped with an awe every few steps, but eventually he reached his destination: Karan's Bakery. He walked inside, washed by the familiar scent of Karan's work, but instead of being greeted by Karan herself, he was greeted by a thirteen-year-old who welcomed the costumers.

"Hello, sir. How can I help you?" the teen said with a smile.  
"I'm looking for Karan." He replied, hoping she would not question him any farther.  
"Sure," she said, still smiling, "just a second."

She walked into the kitchen, leaving Nezumi alone, as he tried to remember where he have seen her before. It was not long before Karan emerged from the kitchen.

Time took its price on her. Her short brown hair was now salt and pepper and her face wrinkled. But her smile was still as warm and motherly, as if it will never wilt with time.

"Hello." She smiled, trying to hide the fact that she did not recognize the person in front of her. Nezumi could not blame her, he paid the toll of time as well. He became more muscular, his features were sharpened and his hair, which once reached his ears, was now tied in a high ponytail[1].

"It's been a while, Karan." No one could hear Nezumi's voice and forget it, and indeed, that was all Karan needed to recognize him.

"Ne...Nezumi?" She asked quietly, her voice daring to show some hope. Nezumi nodded, and that was all Karan needed to wrap him within her tight embrace. Nezumi hugged her back, trying to calm her tears. The teenager looked at them from a distance, she heard plenty of stories of the 'amazing Nezumi'. As a kid, when he just left, she adored those stories, but as she grew up she felt, like many people, betrayed by him. He was the one who caused Shion all of this pain, after all.

After Karan calmed down Nezumi was forced to eat and drink and talk of his adventures. Every time he tried to ask Karan where Shion lives he was interrupted by a question or a pastry, and he was starting to think Karan was trying to delay him as much as possible. By the time they were interrupted, it was already late afternoon.

"Shionn!" Lili's voice sent shivers through Nezumi's spine, "Your Mama's here!"  
"Oh," Karan said, "Come on. Let's greet Inukashi, shall we?" Nezumi exhaled, realizing he held his breath before he remembered 'Shionn' was the baby Shion saved during the manhunt. Then he realized something else: He was going to meet Inukashi, and he really did not want to.

"Ne… zu…?" She looked at him as he got out of the kitchen behind Karan. She was not, however, the only one that was completely shocked by their meeting. She grew up- in more than one way.

"Did you finally pick a gender?" He teased, "And not the one I had my money on, too."  
"Why you little-" She started, but then noticed Shionn was already downstairs.  
"Mama!" The eight-year-old said happily, then looked at Nezumi. "Who's this?"  
"Just a rat." She said and turned away from Nezumi to pet her son's hair, "Did you have fun with Getsuyaku?" Shionn nodded in response. "Then go play with him a little longer, Mama will be right back, ok?"  
Shionn beamed and ran back upstairs.  
"The fact that you're here means you don't know where Shion lives yet, am I right?" She said, hardly concealing her anger.  
"My, my. Your nose is still sharp after all. I thought, maybe, because you haven't noticed me yo-"  
Inukashi cut his teasing by catching his collar and lowering his neck. They were both ignoring Karan completely.  
"Cut the crap. Do you want to know or don't you?" She asked.  
"How much will it cost me?" He asked back. Inukashi never give information for free, not that it mattered, because Nezumi was willing to sell his soul in order to learn Shion's whereabouts.  
"Only to let me drive you there." She said. _There is more to it. _Nezumi knew, but he could not wait for his reunion much longer.

• • • • • •

The ride was quiet, too quiet. Inukashi drove Nezumi through the new streets of the West Block silently. Nezumi knew she was furious, he could sense it, like a mouse that could sense the presence of a cat that was ready to attack. Or a dog, in that case.

When they finally arrived, Nezumi could not believe his eyes. Considering the fact that Shion was probably one of the most influential figures in No. 6, his house was pretty pitiful. It was a decent house of course, but it was too small and too dull to belong to the person who rebuilt the city. _It's so Shion. _Nezumi thought, amused. Inukashi got out of the car.

"Come on," she told Nezumi, "I have something I need to give you."  
Nezumi did as she said and got out as well, then walked toward Inukashi. The moment Nezumi entered a touching distance from Inukashi, she landed her fist on Nezumi's jaw with all of her might. Most people get easily deceived by Inukashi's slim figure and do not realize just how powerful she is; Nezumi lost his balance and found himself leaning against the car's front for support.

"Wha-?" That was all Nezumi could say at the moment. He was caught off-guard and was too perplexed to respond in any other way.  
"You deserve that." Inukashi said, grinding her teeth. "Actually, you deserve much, much, **much **more than that, but that was the minimum. I did it just in case Shion would be too stupid to do it himself, which is likely knowing how airheaded he can be. If the guy have any sense in him he will run you out of the city and make sure you will never, ever come back. And to be honest, there isn't a single part of me that isn't praying that he'll do just that."

Nezumi straightened up; unable to fight the truthfulness in her words, he let her yell and scream and hurt him in a way words never did before.

"Do you have any idea," she continued, shouting, " how it was like in the first few years without you? Do you have a clue, just how many nights Shion spent lying in bed completely awake? Or how many of these nights he spent in hospitals? Or how many damned times he fainted at work? Shion worked, and still works, late into the night, sometimes hours over hours without a break, not even to eat or sleep! The guy worked himself to dust, and for whom? For a fucking asshole who left him with the promise he'll be back one day! And the worst part is, that he doesn't even understand how much pain you've caused him! He just smiles and moves on!"

Inukashi was on the brink of tears. She clenched her fists tightly and looked at her feet.  
"Do you know how painful it was to see him smile? To know that the person he cares about more than anything else is nothing but a piece of shit? That he's never coming back? That it's his fate to sit down and wait for something that will never happen, without even knowing how miserable he is?!"

Nezumi did not answer. He could not. There were no excuses, no explanations, no way to contradict what Inukashi had said. He did not intend to apologies, not to Inukashi. He will plead and beg and say every word in his wide dictionary that can be used to ask for forgiveness. But none of this will have any meaning if it will reach any ears other than Shion's. Not that Nezumi believed he could just talk himself out of his actions. Shion worth much more than that, much more than what Nezumi could do or say in hundreds of lifetimes in order to fix what he broke. No word, in any language, could emphasize just how sorry Nezumi was. Words had no value in comparison to what he did to Shion.

"Do you have nothing to say for yourself?" Inukashi snapped.

_I do. I have so much to say but I can't put it to words. I was broken as well. I couldn't sleep at night too. But I deserve that punishment while Shion did no wrong. You're right, Inukashi. And oh, how much I wish you weren't. I do have something to say, but not for myself. I became unworthy of my own words. Shoin should hate me and tell me he doesn't want to see me ever again. He should, and I know it. But I'm too selfish to wish for it. I want Shion to forgive me. I want to be with him. I want to fix this mess I created. I'm not a fool, however. I know it's impossible to repair the damage I caused to Shion. And although I know I'm fated to fail, I'll try to fix this. I am not giving up without even trying. _

He said none of this, of course. Inukashi snorted and walked back to her car. When she opened the door, Nezumi said:  
"I know it's hard to believe, but I really do care for him."  
Inukashi just entered the car and left the place.

Nezumi, now alone, looked at his surroundings. It was getting dark outside, and Nezumi could only hope Shion will not work late tonight. It was obvious from Inukashi's speech that Shion was not home at the moment, so knocking would be useless. The good thing about Shion's plain house was the balcony- and how easy it was to climb there. In no time, Nezumi stood before the glass doors that separated Shion's bedroom from the rest of the world. He pulled the window open, surprised when it showed no resistance[2]. _Only Shion is airheaded enough to leave an empty house with open windows. _He walked into the room.

Like the house's outside appearance, the inside was very modest as well. Shion's room consisted of a simple queen-sized bed, a closet, two doors that probably led to the bathroom and the stairway, and a desk. Or at least, Nezumi assumed it was a desk, because it was impossible to see anything other than paperwork. Nezumi opened the door to the bathroom, which was just as simple as the rest of the house. He walked downstairs to find the living room, which contained a couch, a coffee table and a large TV, and the kitchen, that included a refrigerator, a sink and an oven that had a bar and three tall chairs at its back.

Nezumi went back to the hallway that connected the two rooms to the main door and the stairways. He was about to make his way back to Shion's room when he saw some shelves he have not noticed before. His heart stopped. Even after eight years, he could recognize these books[3] everywhere. Sure, a mere of five narrow shelves could not possibly contain all of his books, but a short examination showed Nezumi that he could not pick the books he would like to keep better than what Shion picked. He slid a loving finger against _Hamlet_'s[4] spine. _Damn it Shion, _Nezumi thought sadly, _how could you do so much for someone like myself?_

He walked upstairs, still overwhelmed by the sight of his books. He wandered around Shion's room, noticing it was already dark. He opened the closet, surprised to find the fanciest part in the house inside. Out of everything, the only thing that was appropriate to Shion's title was his clothes: He barely had any clothes that were not intended for work. He only had white, buttoned shirts, undershirts to go with them, black suit jackets, matching pairs of pants and ties in many different colors.

The main door opened. Nezumi jumped out of his skin, and shut the closet quickly but silently. He tried to regulate his heartbeat. _Stay cool, stay cool Nezumi, _he told himself desperately, _don't lose it now. Anytime else but now. _Footsteps. Shion's footsteps. Nezumi's heart only went faster and faster. He inhaled, then exhaled, and then inhaled again. Judging by the sound of the footsteps, Shion walked into the kitchen. Nezumi leaned against the wall next to the door that led to the stairway so when Shion comes in he would be in his blind spot. After what seemed like an eternity, Shion's footsteps started echoing toward the bedroom. He opened the door.

Nezumi forgot how to breathe. It was Shion. Shion. Nezumi's brain could not process anything other than the fact that he was looking at Shion's back. It felt amazing, being washed by Shion's presence, like floating inside of a dream. Nezumi's dreamlike dizziness came to a quick end though, when he noticed Shion was holding a bottle of beer in his hand. _He really grew up. _Nezumi thought. He knew he missed his chance to be with the adolescent Shion, that he was standing behind a full-fledged man. His heart ached at the thought, until an image of the last time Shion drank alcohol popped into his mind. Nezumi could not hold a chuckle at the memory. A bad move, because Shion have heard him.

Shion's reaction was much calmer than what Nezumi expected. He looked at him with a confused expression and straightened his back. At first, Nezumi thought Shion could not recognize him as well. That assumption was disproved, however, when Shion brought the bottle in his hand to his face with an expression that was turning from 'how many of these have I had already?' to 'definitely not enough to be that drunk'. Under normal circumstances, Nezumi would have laughed, but right now, he felt more like crying.

"It's me, Shion."

Once again, Nezumi's voice proved its ability to pull people back to reality. Shion's face went blank and he dropped the bottle that shattered against the floor. His expression was completely stripped of all emotions. He just stood there, trying to comprehend what happened before him. Nezumi felt his heart being torn into pieces as he looked at Shion's cold face. He knew Shion could not believe he was back. Just like Nezumi said to himself over and over again _'Shion's a man of the past'_, Shion told himself '_reunion shall come'._ And just like Nezumi, part of him knew that this sentence has lost its meaning. It was like a wilted flower he kept watering, hoping it will grow back to its former beauty, but knowing it will never do so. He wanted to believe, he wanted to believe so hard. He smiled and acted as if he believed Nezumi is coming back. His act was so good that part of him started to believe it. But Nezumi's return seemed too unlikely for Shion to be able to cope with it.

Nezumi just wanted Shion to respond. He stepped closer to Shion. Nothing. He send his hand toward him. No reaction. He touched his cheek gently, caressing his cold skin. Shion did not even blink. Nezumi was on the brink of screaming. Out of all of the scenarios he could think of, that one was the worst. It showed Nezumi just how deep the damage was. He wanted Shion to respond. He wanted him to run into his embrace and kiss him and ask him to stay with him forever, or at least lean a little into Nezumi's touch, showing him he was aware and conscious. Even if Shion would hit him like Inukashi did, and run him out of the city, it would have hurt less than it did to see him at that state. Shion was devastated to the core, and it was Nezumi's fault.

Nezumi pulled Shion and pushed him as hard as he could into his chest. He hugged him as if he might fade away if he will not keep him where he was. Still no response.  
"Fuck, Shion," Nezumi whispered into Shion's hair, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."  
Shion hung his hands around Nezumi's waist. It was a small, weak gesture, but it was a start.

"Ne...zumi?" His voice was so broken and so insecure. It had no clue of belief, or hope, or excitement. _I did this. _Nezumi had to hold back his tears, _I hurt him so much, I ruined him, I broke him, I did this. _Nezumi moved his hands to Shion's cheeks and pressed their lips together gently. It was warm, the first time in eight years Nezumi felt Shion's warmth. Their one-sided kiss washed him, taking away, even if momentarily, all of his pain. Shion drew back, and Nezumi feared he might have come back to his senses, only to tell Nezumi to get out of his life forever.

"Nezumi?" He asked again. This time Nezumi could hear some hope in is voice. His eyes were more lustrous and lively, looking at Nezumi's gray, stormy eyes, trying to understand what sort of witchcraft created such an accurate image of the person he loved the most.  
"It's me, Shion. I'm here." Nezumi said. "I'm here. I'm here, Shion."

This time Shion kissed Nezumi. The first thing Nezumi thought of was how practiced Shion's kiss was, definitely not something he could obtain only from the two kisses he shared with Nezumi before he left. But he pushed this thought aside, treasuring the moment. He was kissing Shion, and that is all that mattered at the moment. Shion wrapped his arms tightly around Nezumi's neck. It was a long day for him, for both of them. They will overcome the hardships that are to come with this reunion in another day, but right now it is all about them being together again. Nezumi knew he would be ready to tear any obstacle with his teeth if he had to. Eventually, Shion's movements became slow and his grip became loose. Nezumi had to carry him to bed that night.

* * *

[1] I love Nezumi's appearance in the anime\manga so, long-haired Nezumi it is.

[2] Original, isn't it? I mean, nobody did this bef- Oh, wait.

[3] Me being creative again. EVERY SINGLE REUNION-FIC HAD THIS. Because it's cute.

[4] Looks like you need to be made out of dead trees and have Shakespeare all over your face to get some sugar 'round here, hehe.

**A\N: Maybe I should have cut this chapter into two parts. Oh well.**

**I thought about it and I realized that there is a possibility, a very very high possibility, that nobody gets my references to the Bible. I would love to hear some approval like 'Oh, I see what you did there', but to be honest, researching the subject and finding similarities to No. 6 is so much fun I wouldn't stop even if nobody gets it. Yeah I like digging the internet upside down and put random references in my writings. Just me planting easter eggs that only I understand.**

**As always, everyone who faved\followed\reviewed have the blessings of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It's thanks to you guys that I haven't escaped this website after the first chapter and refused to post my work on the internet ever again. And I'm not making stuff up, that happened to me with some websites before and I'm quite impressed that I actually got to the 5th chapter. And it's all thanks to you guys! **


	6. Atonement

**A\N: English is not my native language, I'm sorry for any spelling and/or grammar mistakes that might be ahead. **

**It's a *fan*fiction, therefore- I'm a fan and not the actual owner of No. 6.**

**This is a fluffy chapter. Never wrote fluff before (I think) but a friend of mine told me it's good (thanks for helping me, btw...), and you guys seem to like my writing (thank you reviewers as well^^), so yeah… For once I'll at least try to pretend to be confident about what I wrote. Confidence confidence.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Atonement

When Shion woke up alone, he felt this familiar ache in his heart, the one he always feels when he wakes up from a dream about Nezumi's return. Although he went through that feeling so many times so far, it never seemed to become easier. Shion took a few minutes to calm down before he got out of bed and got ready to a new day of work. Lazily, he walked into the bathroom to wash his face, and then downstairs, wondering how late he is but too depressed by the dream to actually care. _Maybe it's a good thing it was only a dream,_ he thought, _I would absolutely die of embarrassment if I'd greeted him that way. _Shion, who was caught in his thoughts, was terribly surprised to bump head-on into something hard as he entered the kitchen.

"Ah! Shion! I'm so sorry!"

_That voice. _

He looked up from his sitting position on the floor, meeting these beautiful gray eyes he longed for all of these years. Shion's first thought was _It wasn't a dream,_ but it quickly turned into the realization that he _did _greet Nezumi in such an embarrassing manner. Shion could not possibly know that Nezumi saw his reaction as an utter proof of the pain he had caused him. From Shion's point of view, he was caught dumbfounded in a ridiculously humiliating way, and by the person he wanted to impress the most. _Ah, there will be no end to his teasing! _Shion was, again, too caught in his thoughts and barely noticed the hand that Nezumi offered him.

"Are you alright?" Nezumi asked, "You look like you've seen a ghost."  
_Might as well have_, Shion thought bitterly, but replied quickly with a reassuring smile, "I'm fine! Are you?"  
"Been through worse." They walked to the kitchen where two plates waited for them on the bar. They both sat down awkwardly and started eating. It was strange, being like this after so long, but Nezumi was happy Shion looked lively again.

"So good!" Shion exclaimed and filled his mouth with more and more food, as Nezumi wondered how he could possibly act so casually under the circumstances. But he enjoyed himself, just sitting there, watching Shion beaming as he ate. He finally got a chance to look at Shion's now mature body. He grew taller, but not nearly as much as Nezumi did, and he was skinnier, which worried him, especially after hearing about his work habits from Inukashi. Nezumi had to admit, though, that Shion was one of time's most impressive masterpieces. Soon, Shion finished eating the food Nezumi made for him.

"That was great! I forgot what a great cook you are!" Shion did not mean to imply anything about Nezumi's time away: Actually, he has not even noticed it could be deciphered that way, but Shion's cluelessness did not stop part of Nezumi from dying within him. Shion continued.

"I never get to eat a decent breakfast because I need to hurry-" He froze. "The office!" He panicked, feeling the pockets of the pants he was wearing ever since yesterday's morning, searching for something.  
"Looking for this?" Nezumi showed him a little chip that was about two squared centimeters on half a centimeter.  
"My CU!" He jerked, sending a hand to take the chip from Nezumi, who moved it quickly out of his reach.  
"A Communication Unit? Going fancy on me, are you?" He teased.  
"No!" Shion immediately said, taking Nezumi's teasing too seriously, "It's pretty common, really! And I need to tell the office I-"  
"You what?" Nezumi smirked, "Late? And about me? Are you going to work while having a guest? Oh no you're not. I already called your office and told them you won't be coming today."  
"You did?" Shion was surprised. He did not like the idea of leaving Nezumi alone, it made him… Uneasy. But he would not dare skip work for a day. The fact that Nezumi already took care of it relieved him.  
"Yep, you're stuck with me today." Nezumi said.  
"I guess I am." Shion replied.

Silence. None of them spoke, even though they both had so much to say.

"I like what you did with your hair." Shion tried to break to tension, reaching with his hand to touch Nezumi's black bangs, "Very sexy."  
"My, my." Nezumi said, a little blushed and very teasing, taking Shion's hand from his hair and lowering it, "Where did you learn to speak like that, Your Majesty? In the same place where you learned how to kiss, I suppose?"  
"Wh-What?" It was Shion's turn to be blushed.  
"You thought I haven't noticed, did you?" Nezumi smirked, "That kiss last night, wasn't your third, now was it?"  
"If you're trying to imply I kissed other people but you, then technically it was our fourth kiss." Shion tried his best to stay calm, which was not much, "And I… I…"  
"You what?" Nezumi asked, losing his patience, but trying, a little more successfully than Shion, to conceal his feelings.  
"I figured out that if I'll sit and wait for you like a maiden you'll make fun of me when you come back." He replied, trying miserably to sound confident.  
"I'm joking, Shion. I'm not blaming you or anything, just curious, that's all." Nezumi really could not blame him, for his argument about being teased by him was valid, and eight years are a very long time. And yet, Nezumi could not help his jealousy, and the little urge that accompanied it, an urge to find and dispose of those who dared to touch Shion while he was gone. The thought of his innocent Shion, being taught by other men how to kiss, or make out or… Or Shion blushing like a high school girl while… These thoughts were so repulsive Nezumi shivered.

He decided to change the subject, "I see you saved some of my books."  
"Some of them?" Shion looked confused for a second, "I saved all of them."  
"Huh?"  
"They're not here, of course. It would be selfish of me to keep such a scarce thing to myself. The books that aren't here are in the city's library, with plenty of other books we collected over the years. There their content is copied into the database and the books are presented in showcases or being preserved in a special area, rather than being in actual use. People can download them from the archive without harming the books themselves. The books I have here were copied to the library's database already, and I'm allowed to keep them because… well, because I initiated this project."

He said it in such a casual way, as if it was the natural thing to do. Nezumi could feel the tears he have been suppressing ever since yesterday surfacing again. _How? For the person who hurt you so much…_  
"Nezumi?" Shion asked, worried, "Is everything alright?"  
"Shion," Nezumi said quietly, taking a deep breath before asking the question that he was burning to ask ever since he set foot in No. 6 again, "Do you want me to leave?"  
Shion's face lost its color in an instant, the thought of Nezumi leaving again, before Shion was even able to digest the fact that he was back… No, it was simply too much.  
"What a ridiculous question! Of course not! Do you…" He could barely let the sentence leave his lips, afraid of the answer, "Do you want to…?"  
"No!" Nezumi quickly lifted his head to look urgently at Shion, trying to erase any doubt Shion might have about his intentions. "I'm asking because… because…"  
"Nezumi?" Shion asked innocently.

Nezumi wanted to tell him that any reasonable person would have told him to get out of his life and never show his face before him again. But he was scared. He was too scared and selfish and pitiful when he had Shion's gaze on him, trying to understand what is wrong, too innocent to realize Nezumi himself was 'wrong' to begin with.

"I'm sorry, Shion." Nezumi said. Shion did not need to ask Nezumi to know what he was talking about.  
"It's fine." He said softly.  
"No, it's not fine! You saying 'it's fine', is exactly what makes it wrong!" He snapped. They both faced each other as they sat, Nezumi held both of Shion's hands tightly and put them on his knees, pinning his gaze to their palms. Shion looked at his lowered head, concerned.  
"Let me say three things." Nezumi said, "If you want me to stay after hearing these things, then I will."  
Shion knew there was no word, nor a way to put words together, so they would make him want Nezumi to leave. But he also knew that Nezumi needed Shion to listen to him. He was feeling scared and guilty, and he needed to talk it out of his system. And Shion was willing to listen to his 'confession'.  
"Fine. I will hear what you have to say." He said.

Nezumi took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for bringing you to the Correctional Facility."  
"Nez-" Shion tried to protest, but Nezumi stopped him.  
"Let me finish. I know you wanted to go, but it doesn't change the fact that I brought you to that... **Hell** because of my own selfish reasons. It's my fault that you had to see these things, it's my fault that you killed a person, it's my fault that you had to go through these horrors. I brought you because I wanted to use your brain. I shouldn't have let you go to that place."

Shion was silent. He wanted to go to the Correctional Facility. Even if Nezumi had different reasons for bringing him, he wanted to go and save Safu. He knew that even if he will say that to Nezumi, he will not feel any better and keep blaming himself. He could argue for hours about wanting to come along, but it was not what Nezumi needed right now. Nezumi wanted to rid himself of his guilt. He just wanted to be forgiven, to repent. "I forgive you." He said. Nezumi seemed to be a little relieved. He continued.

"I'm sorry I left." He said.  
Once again, Shion did not think Nezumi should be apologizing for that. Nezumi was a traveler, he could not settle down so easily, as much as Shion hated it. Shion would never force Nezumi to act against his own nature, he needed to see the world without his hatred to No. 6 clouding his vision, and Shion respected that. No matter how much pain it caused Shion, he could not hold grudge for this action. _Nezumi will be ready whenever he'll be ready. _Shion always thought. _He needs to see things for themselves, without No. 6 nesting in his mind. Maybe, after seeing the big picture with clear eyes, he will be able to view the small details, like me, in the same way._

But again, Nezumi did not want Shion to tell him it was fine. He was too certain that it was not, that even if Shion would swear it, Nezumi would not believe him. Nezumi **knew **he did injustice to Shion, and he wanted expiation. "I forgive you." Shion said again, and Nezumi tightened his grip, squeezing Shion's palms, readying himself to tell Shion the thing that troubled him the most.

"Lastly, I'm sorry I came back." He said, still fixing his eyes to their hands. Shion was too shocked to respond. "I left, I have no right to waltz my way back into your life and expect you to accept me. It's selfish of me, to come here, and even **hope** I'll be forgiven. What if you already began your life with someone else? And even if you didn't, you lived eight years without me. That's a very long time. I can't just come here and turn the reality you worked so hard to build yourself upside down. I'm a being a needy, self-centered, selfish, egotist. I don't deserve you." This time, Shion decided he will not say what Nezumi wanted him to say, just to make him feel better. Shion could not stay quiet after hearing this statement.

"I do not forgive you." He said. Nezumi was shocked, but he did not move. Shion had every right to reject him, but he did not think it will happen, not after he already forgave him twice, not after he saw how he stayed precisely the same as he was eight years ago. And that, was exactly why he asked Shion to forgive him for coming back: Because he was selfish enough to think Shion will forgive him. _It's silly, _he thought, _to expect to be forgiven for something you're still doing. _

"I will not forgive you," Shion said again, "because to forgive I'll first need to admit you did something wrong."  
"But I did!" Nezumi said now looking straight into his eyes, "I really, really don't deserve to have you keeping my books for me, or leaving the window open for me, or taking me back, or-"  
"I don't care what you don't deserve!" Shion started crying, "Can't you see? I'm being selfish too. I don't care how bad you feel about leaving me. I don't care what you think you deserve and what you don't. I just want to be with you…"  
Nezumi got up from his chair to hug Shion. "Don't cry. Please, please don't cry, Shion."  
"Nezumi…" He brought his face to look directly at Nezumi, "Will you stay with me forever?"

Nezumi could not hold his tears any longer. He hugged Shion as hard as possible, "Only if you want me to." He whispered softly.  
"I do." Shion replied in the same tone, "More than anything else."  
"Then who am I to say no to His Majesty?" He said, half joking, half genuinely smiling: He has never been this happy in his entire life.  
"Then I don't want to hear you saying you're sorry for coming back, ever again, understood?"  
Nezumi was amused by how controlling Shion sounded but replied without hesitation, "Understood."

They stayed like that, in each other's embrace for an extra few minutes, but in the end Nezumi broke the silence.  
"So, what shall we do today?" He asked.  
"Hm… Since you are staying, we should go around the city!" He beamed, "So you'll know the place! Maybe we should go to the market? We should buy you a CU! Oh, and clothes for the winter, you don't have any, do you? It's getting cold! Do you have any clothes at all? Well, we should buy that as well. Is there anything else that you need?"  
Nezumi chuckled. "My, my, Your Royal Highness, who would have guessed you'd make such a fine girlfriend?"  
"Not a girlfriend." Shion pouted.  
"No?" Nezumi said in a teasing voice, "Then how about… fiancé?"  
"Fi-Fiancé?!" Shion blushed furiously, barely able to speak, "Are… are you…?"  
"Proposing? Me? No." He said and leaned closer to Shion's face, "But you did."  
"I… I did?!"  
"Yep." Nezumi answered nonchalantly, "What does 'staying with you forever' mean? I thought it was implied."

Now, there was no piece on Shion's face that was not red with embarrassment. He quickly buried his face in Nezumi's chest, trying to escape his gaze. Nezumi laughed.  
"I'm kidding, Shion. It was a joke." Nezumi said lovingly as he petted his hair. Shion shook his head against Nezumi's chest.  
"I…I Actually like it." He said shyly.  
"You do?" Nezumi was caught off-guard, but quickly came back to his senses. It took him few moments before he cupped Shion's chin and leaned in, whispering softly:  
"I like it too."

* * *

**A/N: This time I did cut the chapter into two. I probably won't have enough to write about in the next chap because of this… Well, next update will be next Friday, hopefully. There is always the possibility that I'll get really bored and update early (which almost happened to me this week and is totally depressing) or that I'll have some problems and update later. **

**Oh, and, I tried to be more active on tumblr recently (which isn't going very well because I'm a noob). I'll save you from my normal lack-of-self-confidence-speech(though I will say that for me posting stuff on tumblr is pretty much the same as talking to myself) and tell you that I could inform about late updates over there if you want me to. I go by the same name. Now I'm kind of scared because I said that...nvm. ****  
**

**As usual, those who faved\followed\reviewed have a special part in my heart :D And a shrine in my room. Right between Nezumi's and Sebastian's. **


	7. Genesis

**A\N: English is not my native language, I'm sorry for any spelling and/or grammar mistakes that might be ahead. **

**It's a *fan*fiction, therefore- I'm a fan and not the actual owner of No. 6.**

**Here goes my sort-of-first try on writing some mild NezuShi action. Don't expect too much though. I'm a total wimp. But, it took me longer to update because I really tried to make it the best I can without blushing to death or something. Again, total wimp.**

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Chapter 7: Genesis

Nezumi has never gone on shopping before. There was a good reason behind it too: 'Shopping' was both impossible and stupid in the West Block, and as a traveler he did not buy much because he could not carry a lot of luggage. He did not think it was a bad thing, however, because he quickly realized he despised this strange activity anyway. Unlike Nezumi, who suffered during most of their journey, Shion found himself falling in love with Nezumi's irritated reactions all over again.

Like the way in which Nezumi groaned in annoyance whenever Shion stopped to look at a shop's showcase, which was about every five meters. Or whenever they held hands and Nezumi did his best to look as if he hated it, even though Shion knew he secretly liked it, a lot. Or the way in which Nezumi looked around him, his eyes wide at the changed West Block. It made Shion beam with pride whenever Nezumi saw something he could hardly believe.

Nezumi also had a second way of examining his surroundings, a way Shion liked even better. He would become tense, like an animal that was ready to fight for its territory. The man would narrow his beautiful gray eyes as they scanned the crowd around them whenever he heard someone saying something about 'the Hero of the City', looking for the person who would change the topic to a more sexual subject. Shion assumed Nezumi acted that way because he was used to hearing those less appropriate comments in the old West Block, but he has never seen him actually doing that before. He was happy, knowing that Nezumi could get a little possessive from time to time.

Nezumi was impossible to buy to. "I don't need this." He said, "We already bought enough short-sleeved shirts. I won't go with this one anyway."  
"But it looks good, Nezumi." Shion argued, "And the fact that you have _enough _shirts doesn't have anything to do with this."  
"We shouldn't buy stuff we don't need. I don't even like this shirt."  
"I promise you, Nezumi, buying you a few extra shirts won't ruin me. And you don't need to like it, either. It looks good."  
"But-" Nezumi protested, but in vain, because Shion has already bought the shirt.

"I don't need to try these on." Nezumi said holding three pairs of pants Shion forced on him, "They are exactly the same as the one I already tried. It fits, they fit as well."  
"Nezumi," Shion was starting to lose it, "You'll go into that dressing room, and you will try these pants on."  
Nezumi was too scared to argue.

By the time they started their trip home after buying Nezumi way too many clothes and a CU, it was almost dark. Nezumi just wanted to get home when a shop he has not noticed before caught his attention. He stopped, then grabbed Shion's hand, just when he was about to ask what is wrong, and dragged him into the jewelry shop. Nezumi was quite satisfied with the purchase, especially because of the way in which Shion could not stop staring at the new sliver ring on his finger, blushing furiously.  
"You're adorable." He said and planted a kiss on his cheek, making Shion blush even more.

"We need to tell my Mom." Shion said, still blushing, when they were only few minutes away from _their_ home.  
"Gentlemen:" Nezumi announced, "I have the honor to inform you that our Ship of State, which recent storms have threatened to destroy, has come safely to harbor at last, guided by the merciful wisdom of Heaven."  
"I don't think my Mom read Antigone, Nezumi." Shion sighed. He missed Nezumi's acting.

"Speaking of parents," Nezumi started, "I met your father."  
"I know." Shion said, "I met him too."  
"How bad was it?" Nezumi was worried about Shion meeting his father, and for a split of a second, when Shion's face wore a pained expression, he regretted not killing him that day.  
"Very bad. I had to drive him out of the city." He said calmly, and Nezumi stiffed as he realized Shion _did_ have the ability to exile people from the city. "He wanted to buy the city so he could play with people's lives. And he planned on funding it by digging in Mao! I couldn't let him do such thing. Both his goal and his means were just… wrong."  
"Digging in an airport isn't that terrible, Shion." Nezumi said, quite amused by Shion's attitude toward the place that might have had some significance in the past, but was nothing more than an empty piece of land now.  
"An airport? Oh, that airport." The few hours they spent together were so natural; Shion almost forgot Nezumi was not besides him in the past eight years. "It isn't an airport anymore, Nezumi. We built a more… civilian airport in the south. We reconstructed the forest in the Land of Mao years ago."

Nezumi gave Shion an amazed look. He knew that when Shion says 'we' he actually meant 'I', and he could not imagine Shion doing even more for him than he already did while he was gone. Even though Nezumi did not remember much of the forest, knowing that Shion recreated Mao made his heart beat fast and his lungs forget how to release air. Eight years ago, he would run away from Shion until his body functions would regulate, but now, he simply gave in to the urge to lean his head against Shion's and let his body get even more confused. He realized he actually liked that feeling.

It was already dark when they reached their destination. While Shion rearranged the closet, Nezumi, who was supposed to make dinner, decided to try out his CU instead. He took the tiny chip and pressed it, and it unfolded into a frame that projected a hologram of his home screen. A fast search proved his suspicions, and he quickly found a gossip website that provided him with a detailed list of the relationships 'the Hero of the City' was involved in recently. Nezumi could not say he anticipated what he found on that list, though.

First of all, Nezumi thought Shion dated two, maybe three guys while he was gone. The list was not too long for a period of eight years, but it was not short, either. The second problem Nezumi had with that list was the people on it. To Nezumi's dismay, all of the men on that list were noteworthy politicians, just like Shion, and the majority of them arrived from the other cities. The only person on that list that was not a politician was a famous model from No. 3, and that did not make Nezumi feel any better. Nezumi imagined Shion dating some plain, boring men, the sort of men that he would never notice on the street because there are just so many of them. Knowing Shion was dating such people… Nezumi could not help but to feel a bit threatened.

"Nezumi?" Shion got down stairs after organizing the closet, "What about dinner?"

He was concerned when Nezumi looked a little depressed, then surprised when Nezumi grabbed his wrist tightly, and even more surprised when he pulled him into a kiss. Shion could never predict Nezumi's capricious temper, but kissing him suddenly in that manner after looking so down was strange even for him. That kiss was nothing like the kisses they shared so far; it was more demanding, more emotional, more desperate. It held both desire and fury, and Shion was too confused to keep up. He broke the kiss to look at Nezumi with a perplexed expression, only to see his gray eyes burning with rage, but soften by affection. If Shion had to describe it, he would say they reminded him of false clouds; those who promise rain but disappear the next day without leaving a drop behind.

"What?" Nezumi looked at Shion casually, as if what he was doing was completely normal. Shion, however, felt as if his tongue was so shocked it forgot how to put sounds into words.  
"What's with this look?" Nezumi spoke again, "We're engaged now. It's not that weird."  
"Yeah… but…" Shion regained his speech slowly, "It… It's the first time that you…"  
Nezumi caressed Shion's cheek gently, embarrassing him even more. Shion hated blushing in front of Nezumi. He had always had the impression that Nezumi patronized him for looking so weak. That impression was false, though. Nezumi adored it. It was part of what made Shion himself, that airheaded innocent kid from No. 6 that takes care of the wounds of criminals on the run, or thinks all humans are equal, or recreates forests even though he has so much other work to deal with.

Nezumi just loved how Shion's fine, mature face could be painted in red like a child. It made him think that maybe they had not lost too much time together. But they had, and in matters of seconds, these eight years flashed through his eyes and a wave of immense loneliness washed him. "Damn it, Shion. I fucking missed you."

Shion tried to conceal his surprise as much as possible, but his eyes still widened up in a most ridiculous way. "I…" His was speechless again, but it did not matter much because he could not speak with Nezumi's lips on his own anyways. Shion felt warmth spreading throughout his body. He moaned quietly and shut his eyes softly, letting Nezumi deepen the kiss. Nezumi started kissing him tenderly, but quickly his kiss became possessive and animalistic. His tongue moved almost violently in Shion's mouth, not really exploring it… More like conquering it. Soon, they were both panting for air and Shion had to use Nezumi as support to keep standing. He slid his hands up across Nezumi's neck and tangled his fingers at his long hair, untying it. Shion could not describe just how attractive Nezumi's new hairstyle was in his opinion. It was beautiful and soft, and by touching it Shion finally understood why Nezumi liked playing with his white locks so often.

Nezumi smiled against Shion's lips, sliding his hands under the other's shirt, causing him to shiver. He traced Shion's scar with his finger slowly, receiving a little louder moans from his side. Oh, how he adored Shion's voice, and his enchanting scar. "You know," He mumbled against his lips, "I found a list of your ex-boyfriends."  
Shion froze, but Nezumi continued nevertheless. After a while he broke the kiss again and leaned closer to Shion's ear, "I'm kind of jealous."  
"Of me?" He said confused, his brain ceased to function about when Nezumi pulled him into the first kiss, and his words came out as short, forced sounds between one breath and the other.  
"You're such an idiot." Nezumi said, his voice as breathless as Shion's.

He moved his lips to his fiancé's refined neck, reaching for the rest of his scar with his tongue, awarded with even louder moans.  
"Nezumi…"  
Shion's whole body was on fire, and before Shion noticed he was sitting on the marble working surface, his legs around Nezumi's waist. Nezumi's touches were everywhere, they were aggressive and claiming, two sides of him Shion have never experienced before. He also discovered that, unlike himself, Nezumi probably ate pretty well during those eight years, because it would be impossible for him to develop his muscles that much otherwise. His shoulders became broader, his stomach and chest became harder, and in general, his body became very well-shaped. If the circumstances were different, Shion would blush at these thoughts, but right now, he was too busy blushing over other things. Physical things, that were caused as a reaction to the events around him, as well as other embarrassing thoughts, like the sudden awareness of what is going to happen next.

"Oh, Shion." Nezumi groaned, "I've waited for this for so long."  
"Yeah…" Shion agreed with a whisper, "Me too."

• • • • • •

Nezumi was completely euphoric; he could not remember being this happy ever before, in his entire life. He was laying down, his head on a pillow in an incline against the headboard, Shion resting his head on his bare chest, and wrapping his legs with his own.  
"Nezumi~~Nezumi~~" He said in a sing-a-song voice.  
"Mmmm?" He growled as an answer, and Shion laughed softly as he felt the vibrations through Nezumi's body.  
"What do you think of my singing skills?" Shion asked, light-headed with joy.  
"Terrible." Nezumi said coldly, without a second of thought. Shion place his chin on the top of his hand to look at Nezumi.  
"You're so mean, Nezumi!" He said with an obviously fake anger.  
"Yeah," Nezumi agreed, smirking, his eyes shut peacefully, "I'm the worst."  
"Definitely. The absolute, total, utter worst." Shion planted a kiss on Nezumi's chest before resting his head on it again. "But I wouldn't want it any other way."  
Nezumi chuckled. "My, Your Highness, haven't your mama taught you to stay away from bad boys?"  
"Oh, she has." Shion answered playfully, "But that's exactly what makes them attractive, isn't it?"  
Nezumi laughed.  
"Boy, you're such an airhead." He moved his hand to play with Shion's white hair. Damn, he loved his hair so much. "But I wouldn't want it any other way, either."

Few minutes later, when they were both half asleep, Nezumi spoke again.  
"Shion?"  
"Mmmm?" Shion was too sleepy to form words.  
"I'm happy. Truly. Thank you."  
"Mmmm."  
Shion's breathing became slow, and Nezumi knew he was asleep. He could only hope Shion was conscious enough to comprehend what he said.

• • • • • •

It was strange for Nezumi to wake up like that. He has not had a peaceful slumber in year. He was not disturbed by an external factor ever since he left Shion; he always woke up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep because of his restless mind. It felt strange to wake up to the sound of an alarm clock. It was even weirder to feel a source of warmth leaving bed. But even so, Nezumi desperately held onto the last moments of sleep, pulling the blanket over his head to hide from the sun rays, that were never there to wake him up before. He heard Shion getting out of the bathroom and walking downstairs, then, after few minutes, he came back into the room and walked toward the closet. The sight of Shion getting dressed was what broke Nezumi's efforts to stay asleep. By the time Nezumi pushed himself out of bed, Shion was already fully dressed in a suit, apart from the tie he was currently putting on.

"Allow me." He grabbed the tie around Shion's neck, and pulled him closer. His eyes were dedicated to the task, but he was fully aware of Shion's gaze that rested on his face.  
"You look great in a suit." He said nonchalantly, then he pulled the tie even closer and whispered seductively into Shion's ear, "I can't wait to take it off you."  
Shion's face wore red again, and he pushed Nezumi, who brushed his nose along his neck, away from him.  
"I need to go to work." He explained, and then walked downstairs again, this time accompanied by Nezumi.

_Squeak squeak_

Nezumi's mice jumped onto his shoulder. He instructed them to look around the city and leave him alone when they arrived, but he was too busy with Shion to notice they were gone for two days.  
"Ah, there you are. Shion, this is Prince, he's Hamlet and Cravat's son. I decided to keep track of my mice's gender after that incident. The other one… Well, she doesn't have a name yet." Nezumi introduced. Shion looked at the creatures with marvel.  
"At least you named one of them." He teased.  
"Yeah," Nezumi replied and touched the tip of Shion's nose with his finger, "After a certain person."  
Shion blushed again, irritated by how easy it was for Nezumi to make him do so. "Besides, I wanted you to name her."  
Shion looked thoughtful for a moment. "A name that goes with Prince… How about… Rose?" He asked.  
"Rose?"  
"You know," He explained, "He's a little prince, and she's his rose."  
Nezumi, impressed by Shion's useless ability to make stupid things sound meaningful, was about to mock him for it, but since the gray mouse seemed to like it; there was no point in arguing. He sent the mice to take a look at their new home.

Shion walked toward the door, then put his shoes on, but did not leave. He just looked at the door quietly.  
"Shion," Nezumi said, "Aren't you going to the office?"  
"I am." He said.  
"No, you're not. You're staring at the door." Nezumi remarked, and Shion shrank into his own body. The situation suddenly became clear to Nezumi.  
"Shion… Not even I am despicable enough to leave without saying a word when you're not home, especially now that we're engaged."  
Shion shrank even more and dropped his gaze to the floor, "I know. It's just…"  
Shion could not put his anxiety into words, so Nezumi cut him by putting their lips together. It was different from the kiss they shared the night before: it was just as passionate, but this time it was not as heated. It was not burning with desire; it was a pure gesture to show the deep bond between them. Nezumi was trying to emphasize his feelings in the best way he could. It was neither possessive nor violent; it was more meaningful than secular pleasure.

"This-" Nezumi broke their kiss to speak, "Will be our 'see you soon' kiss from now on."  
Shion gave him a fragile smile and nodded, but stayed in his embrace.  
"Go on, Shion." Nezumi urged him, "Be a good kid at school and I'll make you a nice dinner when you're back. Deal?"  
Shion nodded and smiled again, then he looked at the door and took a deep breath before he walked through it.

Nezumi collapsed to his knees. _I'm such an idiot, _He swore, _How could I think that eight years of damage were repaired by a stupid ring? _Nezumi was once again on the verge of tears. Shion's frail smile, the fear in his eyes, the way he shrank, the way he shuddered in Nezumi's arms… It was too painful for him. It was devastating. _Shion… Just how much pain are you still hiding from me?_

* * *

**A/N: I don't know when I'll post next because I'm trying to figure out how to organize what's left of this story into chapters. There are 1-3 chapters left by my approximation. When I'll figure this out I'll post the date of the next upload on my profile or something.**

**For those of you who faved\followed\reviewed, I have no lame joke for you guys this time. Is my love for you enough? Fine, instead I'll tell you a secret. Mentally disordered Shion in the next chapter. But don't tell Nezumi. See you next time :D**


	8. Gehennom

**A\N: English is not my native language, I'm sorry for any spelling and/or grammar mistakes that might be ahead.**

**It's a *fan*fiction, therefore- I'm a fan and not the actual owner of No. 6.**

**It took me a while, I know, but this is the longest chapter I wrote so far. I think. Mentally disordered Shion, everyone! **

**Please, don't kill me if I said something wrong about the mental disorders I'm about to address. Thank you. Also, lets assume that medical ethics changed over the years, ok?**

* * *

Chapter 8: Gehennom

Just like every morning in the past month, Shion's alarm clock tore Nezumi from his sleep. Shion was the first to get out of bed, as always. He went to the bathroom, half asleep, while Nezumi struggled to leave the comfort of the blanket, so he could look for random pieces of clothing he could put on. Eventually, he walked to the kitchen, too lazy to take care of his bed hair, wearing a shirt he lost last week and pants that did not fit him, probably because they belonged to Shion. It became their song: Shion woke up and got ready for work while Nezumi cooked for them. By the time breakfast was ready, Shion walked into the kitchen, completely dressed and ready for a new day of work. He ate quietly, one hand holding the fork and the other reports he had to read, while Nezumi washed the dishes on the other side of the bar.

"What are you reading?" Nezumi asked. Shion's work always interested him, both because of Shion and because of his general curiosity about the new city, which still seemed too good to be real.  
"Remember that book you took from the library few weeks ago?" Shion put down the paper. Nezumi took many books from the library, books Shion bought during these eight years in particular. "The one by Monte-something."  
"Montesquieu?" He asked.  
"Yes, that one. So, I talked about it in a meeting few days ago. The Committee loved the idea."  
"They did?" Nezumi asked with wonder.  
"Yeah." Shion nodded, "They were fascinated, actually. They said that even if we won't be corrupted by power, there's no guarantee that the next generations will do the same. With the current system, it's pretty easy to take control. I am a proof."  
"That's not the same! You rebuilt this city from ashes, you saved plenty of lives and made the future of those you saved worth living for!"  
"Most pre-apocalyptic absolute rulers fixed the problem their nation was facing." Shion replied casually, "I'm only special because I did it without hurting anyone. The next person that will take power might not be as nice. Power can corrupt people quite easily."  
"So they want to make it harder to gain absolute power over the city?"  
"Yes." Shion nodded, "Montesquieu called it 'checks and balances', or 'separation of power'. We'll start by building a judicial system. No. 6 has always had zero tolerance to crime, and we don't really have courts and such. Also, the laws in No. 6 aren't very clear. We had some from the old city, but ever since the wall fell, we don't really know what laws to keep and what not. We'll probably open a committee that will write our laws properly, as well as one that will judge people for their crimes."

"What about the Restructural Committee?" Nezumi asked.  
"It looks like we'll replace that with a mayor and different bureaus, just like the old city. The people will probably protest at first, but after some explanations, I'm sure they'll understand."  
"Are you running?" Nezumi asked with a smirk.  
"For what?"  
"For mayor."  
"I don't think so." Shion said thoughtfully.  
"No?" Nezumi raised an eyebrow.  
"Well… It's probably much more work, and now that you're back I'd rather spend more time with you." He said, blushing, "Though, many people will definitely try to convince me to run anyway."  
"And rightfully," Nezumi said, still washing the dishes, "You proved yourself as a strong, trustworthy leader. Who else is better for the job?"  
"Are you saying I should do it?"  
"I didn't say that. Though, I do believe any other job would be a waste of your abilities."  
"But what about you? I'll have to work much-"  
"Ha!" Nezumi cut him in the middle of the sentence, "I would like to see you working harder than that. I don't think it's physically possible."  
"You're obviously underestimating me." Shion grinned.  
"Whatever. You still owe me a vacation, so I don't really care." Nezumi smirked back.  
"I can't just take vacations like that, Nezumi." Shion sighed, Nezumi have never had a sense of responsibility when it came to work, "And I don't remember owing you anything."  
"Sure you owe me! We haven't had our honeymoon yet."  
"Honey...moon?" Shion titled his head, confused.  
"It's a pre-apocalyptic tradition where the newly married couple have a long, romantic vacation together." Nezumi explained, satisfied with the bright pink shade that appeared on Shion's cheeks. "We can travel around the world, this time with an airplane, of course. I'll show you the other cities. It'll be fun."  
"I don't think I can-" Shion stopped and looked at his watch. "Ah! I'm late!"

Shion ran to the door and put his shoes on, then turned over to Nezumi, to receive his ceremonial 'see you soon' kiss before he left for work. Shion did not own a car, and he walked to the office every day, which was not far, so it did not bother him. He loved watching the West Block wake up: Shops being opened, children running to school, business men and women entering their cars with a cup of coffee in their hand and a CU between their shoulder and ear, talking with their coworkers about this and that project…

Although walking to and from work always calmed Shion down when Nezumi was gone, it became a nerve-racking activity after he came back. Shion felt uneasy whenever Nezumi was not by his side. He would constantly think about Nezumi, and it made it hard for him to concentrate, eat, and even breathe properly, as terrible thoughts nested in his mind. He kept quiet, though. He felt as if he would say something, people would tell him he is being ridiculous, or something about 'that's what it's like to be in love'.

But Shion was in love with Nezumi for a very long time, and as hard as it was without him during these eight years- that was a whole new type of pain. Walking to work became a torture. Being at work became a torture. Walking back home became a torture. The torment became more real and less constant. When Nezumi was gone, the pain never left him, not even for a second, but it was a distant pain, like an old scar. Now, the pain only came to take Nezumi's place, and disappeared as if never existed when he came back. But it was more intense, more piercing.

_What if the house catches fire and he dies? What if he's cheating on me? What if he goes out and get lost? Or attacked? What if he leaves again? What if that was the last time we'll see each other? _Shion always tried to stop and think rationally, _Nezumi's home. He's fine. He's never leaving again. He said he won't. __**But what makes you think he's telling the truth? **_Shion could never find words to fight that other voice. When he reached the office, he was already shaking and breathing heavily. He took his CU out.

"Shion?" Nezumi's comforting voice reached Shion's ear, and he could finally breathe calmly again. "Is everything alright?"  
"Yes." Shion said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible, "I'm just… I arrived at the office."  
"Good." Nezumi replied through the CU, "Did you want anything?"  
"N-No. Just to make sure everything's fine, that's all." Shion felt really stupid saying something like that, but he was too relieved to care.  
"Everything's fine. You have nothing to worry about, Shion." Nezumi's voice had no clue of mockery for Shion's concern.  
"Good." Shion replied quickly, but did not say anything that might imply the end of the call.  
"I hate to interrupt your work," Nezumi said, knowing Shion won't finish the conversation himself, "I'll see you tonight."  
"Y-Yeah." Shion's voice barely escaped his throat, and he was reluctant to hang up, but did so anyway.

Shion, once again, felt ridiculous for worrying so much about Nezumi. Nezumi was at their home. He did not have a job yet, so there was no reason for him to leave the apartment. Nezumi tried talking about getting a job few time so far, but Shion always changed the subject quickly, hoping he will forget about it. He knew he was being selfish, keeping Nezumi in their apartment like that, but there were so many dangers outside, and even if Nezumi could protect himself, he feared for him. So he enjoyed his momentary relief, that disappeared almost instantly, because a phone call might promise that nothing terrible had happened, but it does not prevent anything from happening a second later.

"Shion-sama!" Ai waved at him, standing next to an open door of a car. Shion walked toward her, brushing off his unpleasant thoughts.  
"Good morning, Ai-chan." He forced a smiled. "What are we doing today?"  
"Going into town, first." She pointed at the car, "We have a meeting with Hikari-san, remember?"

• • • • • •

_Ding dong_

Nezumi brought his face up from the book he was reading, and looked at the general direction of the door. It has been few hours since Shion left, but it was still way too early for him to come back. He walked to the door, puzzled.  
"Who is it?" He asked.  
"It's me, Nezumi. Open up." Shion's voice answered. Nezumi obeyed.

He cursed himself when he opened the door and faced a woman. She was at her thirties, by Nezumi's approximation, she wore a buttoned-up shirt, a formal skirt, and high heeled shoes. Her hair was tied in a strict ponytail that did not allow even one strand escape. But really enraged Nezumi was the way she walked into the house as if she owned it.

"Hey!" He yelled, gaining her attention, "Who the fuck are you? What… Shion's voice-"  
"Oh, that? Simple voice editing. I figured you won't let me in otherwise." She waved her hand as if it was nothing and walked into the kitchen.  
"So, you do understand you're trespassing?" Nezumi followed her, yelling at himself internally that Shion would be really mad if he would kill someone in their apartment.  
"Oh, no, Nezumi." She sat on a chair next to the bar, "I'm sure Shion has no problem with me being here."  
"How did you-" Nezumi's emotions began to turn from irritated to threatened. The strange woman knew his name, she knew Shion's name, and she knew both of them good enough to say Shion would let her in and Nezumi would not. At that point, the only reason the woman was not dead already was his instincts, telling him she was not there to hurt him.  
"Will you make me some tea, darling?" She asked. "I hate talking without tea."  
Nezumi brewed her some tea, he did not understand why he did it, but he did, glancing at her with an expression that could make babies cry.  
"You're not very good at socializing, are you?" She said, amused by Nezumi's expression.  
"Look who's talking." He said giving her a cup of tea.

"My name is Hikari. I'm Shion's therapist." She stirred the content of the cup with a teaspoon, fixing her gaze to the liquid.  
"Shion haven't told me he goes to therapy." His voice was interrogating but he was more surprised than suspicious.  
"Of course he hasn't. Why would he tell you he had to go to therapy in the past six years because you turned him into an emotional wreck?"  
Nezumi did not think that there were words in existence that could be said so casually and hurt him so bad. Hikari decided to continue, still looking at her cup.  
"I'm here to tell you something about Shion. He came over today and-"

_Beep beep  
Beep beep_

Nezumi's CU rang, cutting Hikari down.  
"Let me guess. It's Shion." She said, now bringing the teaspoon to her face, using it as a little mirror. Nezumi did not need to check to know she was right.

_Beep beep  
Beep beep_

"How many times have he called you today already?" She continued, realizing Nezumi will answer neither her nor Shion's call, "Four times? Five times?"  
"This is the sixth." Nezumi admitted quietly.  
"And it's only the middle of the day." She was half amused, but also half worried, her gaze was still fixed to the twisted image of her face on the teaspoon.

_Beep beep  
Beep beep_

"What are you trying to say?"  
"I'm saying I know a thing or two about Shion, but I'll need to know how far you're willing to go for him." She went back to her former occupation, string her tea, but this time, she looked at Nezumi. They both knew it was unhealthy to call someone so many times a day.  
"Far enough," He assured, "Even farther than that."  
The CU's ringing died.  
"Call him, then. He'll freak out if you won't."  
Nezumi did as he was told.

"Shion?"  
"Nezumi?" Shion's voice was breathless, stabbing Nezumi with every syllable, "Are you alright? You didn't answer the phone, did anything happen?"  
"I'm fine," He calmed him, "I was in the restroom, I couldn't answer, I'm sorry I worried you."  
"What? Oh, no, I'm… I wasn't worried…" Shion denied, and for some reason, Nezumi did not find it as adorable as he would have under different circumstances.  
"Aren't you busy with work?" Nezumi tried to finish the conversation so he could talk with Hikari.  
"Eh… I am. But I'm never too busy for you, hehe." He chuckled nervously.  
"Go back to work, dear, "Nezumi tried a different approach, "I wouldn't want people blaming me for stealing the precious time of the Hero of the City."  
"O-Oh." Nezumi could practically hear Shion blush, "S-See you later, then."  
He hung up.

Nezumi put the CU down slowly.  
"Manipulative and a liar." Hikari smiled, "Man, does Shion know how to pick them or what?"  
"Shut up." Nezumi growled, "Now tell me what's wrong with Shion before I kick you out of here."  
She laughed. "Oh, where do I begin? Workaholic? Suffers from eating disorders? Traumatized? The list goes on forever. And most of it is your fault."  
She paused, and put her cup of tea on the bar. "How about we begin with why he hid my existence from you? Well that has an obvious answer. Inferiority complex."  
"You think Shion has an inferiority complex?" Nezumi asked with disbelief.  
"How rude. I _know _he has an inferiority complex. I've known it for years. I bet he knows it as well, but do not see it under the same light. He puts it in different words, and thinks of it more positively."  
"And who might be the subject of this complex?" Nezumi said in a mocking voice, still finding it hard to believe Hikari.  
"You, silly. Who else could he feel inferior to?"  
"Wait a second, you think he has an inferiority complex because of me?" Nezumi could hardly hold his laughter.  
"Again, this isn't an assumption, Nezumi." She said, angry at Nezumi and his reaction, "I worked with him for years. I'm certain he has an inferiority complex and I'm certain it's your fault."  
"Ok then," He said, not changing his tone, "What makes you so, so certain?"  
"Nezumi, if I had a coin for every time he said something like 'because Nezumi would say I'm weak', I'd have enough money to buy the Moondrop."

Nezumi froze. "He said something like that?"  
She snorted, "As I just said: Way more than once."  
"I… I didn't…" Nezumi did not know what to say. The idea of Shion seeing a rat like himself as a superior was beyond him. All of that time, Nezumi thought Shion pitied him, or hated him, or… Anything but felt lesser in comparison to him.  
_I want to be your equal.  
Because you felt inferior? _Nezumi was struggling to comprehend the situation. _If anyone was inferior, it was me. A poor rat that knows nothing of love, or family, or friends. How could you possibly look up to such thing?_  
"I don't say you meant for this to happen. I'm just saying it had a great effect on him, that's all."  
"What sort of effect?" He asked immediately, hit by fear.  
"Mostly sticking to radical measures and hiding things from you." She started counting with her fingers, "Refusing to take breaks from work, unbearable perfectionism when it comes to city matters, hiding the whole therapy thing and anything else he might find unfitting to your standards…"  
"How about calling me twenty times a day?" He asked.  
"That's a different problem," Hikari answered, "And also where you'll have to prove your 'far enough' statement."  
She took the cup again, and put the teaspoon between her teeth.

"Shion is suffering from ASAD." She said.  
"Which is?"  
"Adult Separation Anxiety Disorder." Hikari explained, Nezumi already knew he did not like it by the sound of that, "Now I'll make my question clear, can you be his subject of attachment?"  
"His what?"  
"Shion is obviously attached to you in a very unhealthy way, and we don't really have the means to deal with it. Most people that have a spouse that suffers from ASAD can't handle it. They are needy, clingy, overprotective partners. Their subject of attachment is most likely to leave them for their condition."  
"I would never leave Shion for something like that!" Nezumi yelled as he understood what Hikari was implying, hitting the bar with his fist, "How could you say something like that?! I caused this, didn't I? And even if I didn't, I would never leave Shion again, not eve-"

_Beep beep  
Beep beep_

This time, Nezumi picked the CU immediately.  
"N-Nezumi?" Shion's insecure voice floated into his ear.  
"Yes, Shion, is everything alright?" He asked in a soft voice, calming both Shion and himself down.  
"Y-Yes. You?" Shion's uneasiness only multiplied as he talked.  
"I'm fine. It's fine, Shion, you can go back to work." Nezumi's tone was not impatient, it was loving, caring, and reassuring.  
"Oh." Shion was taken aback by Nezumi's direct approach, and by the realization that Nezumi knew what bothered him, "G-Goodbye, then."

Nezumi took a deep breath. "As I was saying-"  
"I understand." Hikari said. "That will make things easier for me, but considerably harder for you."  
"How do we take care of it?" Nezumi asked.  
"I'll try to do my best, but…" She held the teaspoon with her delicate fingers and looked at it, "I can only promise moderation, I'm not sure I'll be able to fight it off completely."  
"And how bad will it affect him?" Nezumi asked, worried.  
"Well, the symptoms he suffers from are mostly negative, worst case scenario thinking about the departure, and uneasiness while away from the subject of attachment, which affects his ability to concentrate, or eat. I suppose you haven't seen that effect yet, but he probably can't sleep without you in the same bed. The problem he faces daily is his own mind: Thoughts of you dying on an accident, leaving again, being unfaithful…"  
"Shion knows I would never do anything like that."  
"He might know that," Hikari responded calmly, "But his ASAD has its own thoughts. And its influence is greater than that of his rational mind."

Nezumi was silent for a while, digesting the knowledge he received, but then he asked, "Did you tell him?"  
"Not yet. I wanted to talk with you before doing so. I have another meeting with him, set for the end of the day, just before he comes back from work."  
He went quiet again. _It's my fault. _The understanding struck him. _My fault. I did this to him by leaving, by staying away for that long… I ruined him. _Nezumi felt a sharp pain in his chest, and he had to close his eyes shut and hold his breast where the pain was. Nezumi could not remember having this kind of pain before. It felt like his heart died slowly.  
"Does it hurt?" Hikari pulled him back to reality, "Does it hurt you to know that you did this to him?"  
"More than I thought possible." He admitted in a sad voice.  
"I'm going to tell you something, as a person, not as a professional." She said softly, putting her teaspoon inside of her cup, which was lowered onto her knees, "Do you know why Shion is suffering from ASAD and other disorders of the sort?"  
"Because I left him?" He smiled bitterly.  
"Well, obviously. But lots of people left No. 6 after the wall fell. Why did _you_ hurt him?"  
Nezumi looked at her with a lost expression. Hikari sighed.  
"Because he loves you, Nezumi. Because he truly, solely loves you. And only a person he loves so much can hurt him so bad. You are the only one that can devastate him to such extent."  
"You're not very good at you job, are you?" He tried to hide the fact that the pain was now threatening to burst through his chest.  
"I already told you I'm saying this as a person." She replied, "But you still don't seem to understand."

Hikari stood up, preparing to leave.  
"How many people have you hurt before? Probably quite a lot. And yet, Shion is the only person that made feel emotions like guilt, and pity, and true, sincere sadness. Shion is the only one that can hurt you like that. What does that say about you? About him?"  
She paused, and walked to the entry of the kitchen, "Have a nice day, Nezumi. And rest. Shion will be very unstable when he comes back."

And with these words, Hikari left. Only few hours later, Nezumi realized she did not drink any of her tea.

• • • • • •

Nezumi was making dinner when he heard the door being unlocked. His heart almost jumped out of his chest, and he ran as quickly as he could toward the entry, to welcome Shion, who was taking his shoes off, leaning against the wall, a blank expression on his face. Nezumi moved forward to hug him, but something in Shion's body language made him stop. Shion looked vulnerable and scared, like an animal that was pushed against a wall. Nezumi's heart died within him at the pitiful sight of Shion, who fixed his gaze to his now bare feet.

"Have you…" He began, "Did Hikari tell you…?"  
"She did." Nezumi said in a calm, stable voice, not allowing any of his pain escape. Shion took a deep breath, shook a little and shrank into himself even farther.  
"If you…" He said as if every word hurt him, "If you want to leave because of my… condition, I would understand. I really would. I promise."  
Nezumi was dumbfounded. _How? _He questioned an imaginary Shion in his mind, _How can you hurt me so much? How come, whenever I think you can't hurt me anymore than that, you prove me wrong? Why won't you stop? _

_Why didn't I come back earlier?_

After a long, painful silence, Shion looked up from his feet to see why Nezumi have not responded. Shion had to rub his eyes to make sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him. Nezumi was leaning against the wall, with a horrified expression on his face, and tears rolling down his cheeks. Shion panicked, and ran towards him to hug him around the neck. They both collapsed onto their knees.

"Don't cry Nezumi," He whispered with fear, not knowing what made the other react that way, "I don't know why you're crying, but please stop."  
"I'm crying because of you, stupid." Nezumi replied bluntly.  
"Me?" He asked, "But you said I shouldn't cry for other's sake."  
"You shouldn't. I can do whatever I want." He joked, but it could not hide the fact that he was still crying. Suddenly, Shion realized that whenever Nezumi cried, it was always because of him. _Stop crying, _He begged in his head, _Don't cry because of me, Nezumi. I don't want you to cry because of me. Please don't cry. _  
"Please stop crying." He finally said, "I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

This only made Nezumi wrap his hands tightly around Shion, and sob even louder.  
"What's wrong?" Shion panicked.  
"You are." Nezumi answered. He finally understood the meaning behind Hikari's words. Shion was the only one who could hurt him like that. "Do you want me to leave, Shion?"  
"No!" Shion exclaimed, "I already told you I-"  
"Then, why are you suggesting it?" Nezumi tightened his grip.  
"Because…" Shion looked for the right words, "Because I don't want you to be in pain because of me. I don't want to hurt you."  
"Well, you are hurting me." Nezumi whispered wryly.  
"I didn't mean to." Shion said innocently, "I'm sorry."  
"Stop it, just stop…" Nezumi begged.

"Stop what?"  
Nezumi sighed. "Wouldn't you be in pain if I left?"  
"I would." Shion admitted.  
"Then, why did you suggest me to leave?" Nezumi yelled through his tears, "Is my happiness more important than yours?!"  
Shion did not answer, he did not know what to say.  
"I want both of us to be happy." He answered. "But if you'll force yourself to stay, none of us will be happy. I don't want you to be in pain because of me."  
"And you think that I'll be happy to leave? That I won't care if you'll be in pain because of me? How heartless do you think I am?"

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again." Shion said quietly.

_Stop, Shion. Just stop it. _

"I'm sorry, Nezumi." Shion said again, seeing Nezumi's situation was only becoming worse.  
"Shut up." Nezumi finally said, to Shion's surprise, "I hurt you so much, why do you keep putting your own sake beneath mine? It's my fault that you have ASAD. Why do you allow me to leave, when it will obviously devastate you? Especially with your condition?"

Shion did not know what to say, and Nezumi continued. "I don't want to leave you, Shion. Don't you understand? I love you. Even if you have ten thousand different mental disorders, even if you would hate me, I would still love you."

Shion choked. _Did Nezumi say… He loves me? _Even after they got engaged, even after they spent so much time together, Shion never thought Nezumi would say something like that, and most certainly not the first of them to say that.

"I…" He barely managed to speak, "I love you too."  
"Then don't apologize, ever again." Nezumi said, his tears fading away.  
"But…" Shion began, and Nezumi moved his hand from around Shion to cup his cheeks and put their foreheads against each other.  
"Please?" He pleaded.  
"O-Okay." Shion blushed a little, and put his hands on Nezumi's chest.  
"Good." Nezumi smiled, "Now, whatever it is Shion, we're going to go through it together, understand?"

Shion nodded slightly, and Nezumi put his head on his shoulder, enjoying his warmth. _No matter how hard it will be, Shion, _He talked to an imaginary Shion in his mind, _I'm not leaving you. Not again. You're stuck with me forever now. We'll go through this, even if it takes our whole lives._

A growling sound from Shion's stomach ruined their moment. Nezumi laughed.

"Come on, my Prince." He stroke Shion hair, "Our promised dinner is getting cold."

* * *

**A/N: Well, that was it you guys. Next chapter won't be very long… it would be more of a 'and NezuShi lived happily ever after' sort of thing. And it will be the last chapter. It'll take me a while to write it though…**

**People who faved\followed\reviewed: as always, I 3 you. I'll write a really big thank you massage in the next chap, ok?**


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